Did you know that St. Patrick's Day is the Roman Catholic feast honoring Ireland's patron saint, St. Patrick? The holiday is also an international celebration of Irish history and heritage.
Patrick was neither Irish nor particularly religious, at least not initially. Patrick was born Maewyn Succat in 385 CE in the Welsh town of Banwen, and for the first sixteen years of his life he was an avowed pagan.
Maewyn, was captured by Gaelic slave traders at the age of sixteen and sold to an Irish sheep farmer. He was enslaved for six years, during which he turned to Christianity for comfort. He escaped at the age of 22, and spent the next 12 years living in a British monastery. It was there that he adopted the name Patrick.
Patrick returned to Ireland after his time in a monastery, along with 20-some followers, serving as a Christian missionary
St. Patrick is believed to have died in Ireland on March 17, 461 C.E. The anniversary of his death is now the day on which St. Patrick's Day feast is celebrated
The myth that Saint Patrick drove all snakes from Ireland into the Irish Sea is just that -- a myth. Many locals still insist that the serpents were drowned in by Saint Patrick, causing their sea to be so rough. The truth, however, is that serpents where never native to Ireland. The story is most likely a metaphor for the druidic religions, which disappeared from the Emerald Isle after St. Patrick spread the seeds of Christianity
While it is customary to wear green on St. Patrick's Day in the United States, the color green is actually considered unlucky in Ireland. Green is the color of faeries, which are believed to steal children who wear too much green.
The Shamrock, considered the official plant of Ireland, was viewed as a sacred plant in acient Ireland and symbolized rebirth.
The phrase "the wearing of the green", means to wear a shamrock on one's clothing
On St. Patrick's Day, some revelers will raise a pint of stout and wish their companions "Slainté!"—the Irish word, pronounced SLAN-cha, for "health."
The toast may brim with scientific truth. At a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida, in 2003, researchers reported that Guinness may be as effective as daily aspirin in reducing the blood clots that cause heart attacks. (The benefit derives from antioxidants, which the researchers said reduce cholesterol deposits on arterial walls. The compounds are found in dark Irish stouts but not their paler cousins.)
By law, pubs in Ireland were closed on St. Patrick's Day, a national religious holiday, as recently as the 1970s
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 34 million United States residents claim Irish ancestry, or nearly ten times the entire population of Ireland today, which stands at 3.9 million. Among U.S. ethnic groups, the number of Irish-Americans in the U.S. is second only to the number of German-Americans.
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since site was created on August 9, 2009
Music is powerful. It can bring you back to a space and time. It stirs up emotions. It can remind you of a person, an era, a place, a feeling, or just about anything. I have compiled a wide variety of music that was popular during and just after our high school experience. There should be plenty of songs that you like; and due to the variety of that music, plenty of songs that you like less. If you don't like a particular song, hit the fast forward button to hear the next song. If you don't like music, or just don't want to listen to music right now, press the pause button. At any rate, please enjoy the music and the memories it stirs up inside of you.
IHS ALMA MATER SONG
Hail, Hail Irondequoit our Alma Mater dear.
We praise thee for thy nobleness,
thy honor we revere;
and though the years swiftly pass away,
our love shall never die.
We have been inspired by thee the highest aims to try.
Hail, Hail Irondequoit, may sunshine fill thy halls; and memories of thy sons and daughters echo from thy walls.
From thee we gained wisdom, honesty, leadership and skill.
Irondequoit where ere we travel, Alma Mater still.
Not only is the Class Creator site used for high school classes, but for families and any group that may benefit. If we refer someone to the site and they sign up for Class Creator, a $50 check will be sent to US!! This is a great way to earn a little extra money and try to keep our costs down for reunions. If you know anyone that could use the service please pass along the information. To receive credit they must use the banner link above or the banner link on the bottom right side. If they need assistance please use the "Contact Us" button.
It's hard to believe that we have been out of high school as long as we have. There have been many changes, experiences, heartaches and triumphs in our lives over the years. Let's face it, high school was a very strange time for us; hormones, self-discovery, uncertainty, friendships, cliques ... but that's in the past. We've grown, changed and endured.
GIVE YOURSEVES A HAND!
WE HAVE REACHED OVER 66.67% PARTICIPATION!
LET'S GET IT TO OVER 70%!
This website was created on August 9, 2009 to promote, celebrate and reconnect with all members of the Irondequoit High School Class of 1980. Your participation is essential for it to succeed. More than 60% of our classmates have registered already! At least a dozen of us log into this site daily! With your help to keep spreading the word, we will continue to see new classmates signing up and checking in everyday! Let's keep it rolling.....GO INDIANS! Er, …Eagles?!
Please take a few minutes to visit the "In Memory" section. Registered alumni can add personal stories or comments about our deceased classmates by clicking on 'Post Response'. I encourage family or friends to provide information about classmates no longer with us.
Please be sure to keep your profile information updated, especially your e-mail address. This website will be the only way to reach you with regards to reunion planning.
When March 17th arrives you can raise your glass and toast your Irish friends with one of these phrases.
May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go
Health, and long life to you
Land without rent to you
The partner of your heart to you
and when you die, may your bones rest in Ireland!
May you get all your wishes but one,
So you always have something to strive for.
Here's to your coffin...
May it be built of 100 year old oaks
Which I will plant tomorrow.
May your neighbors respect you,
Troubles neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And Heaven accept you
May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future.
May you live to be a hundred years, with one extra year to repent.
May your fire be as warm as the weather is cold.
As you slide down the banisters of life may the splinters never point the wrong way.
May you be in heaven one half hour before the devil knows you're dead.
May you never forget what is worth remembering,
Or remember what is best forgotten.
May you have the hindsight to know where you've been,
The insight to know where you are,
and the foresight to know when you've gone too far.
May you have warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill all the way to your door.
May God bring good health to your enemies’ enemies
May all the days of the rest of your life
Be the very best of your life
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Irondequoit High School Class of 1980 will celebrate their 30 Year Reunion on the weekend of Friday, July 30, 2010, Saturday, July 31, 2010, and Sunday, August 1, 2010.
Please go to the '30 Year Reunion' link on the left for further details. We look forward to seeing you all!
If you plan on attending the Reunion please go to your profile and click YES and complete the registration form. Even if you have previously filled out the registration, please go back and edit it further as new questions were added to help us run the Reunion weekend.
If you do not plan on attending, please go to your profile and click on NO.
Reunion tickets are now available for the Saturday night dinner party at the Lakeshore Country Club. The Reunion tickets are currently $60 per person. The price will be increased to $65 per person after February 28th, so get your tickets early!
To purchase your tickets go to the 30 YEAR REUNION link on the left side link bar. If you prefer to send a check, send it to the Irondequoit 1980 Reunion Committee, 10 Delta Terrace, Rochester, NY, 14617.
(Paying by check is the preferred method of receiving payments. We are charged a 4.9% processing fee for credit cards and Pay Pal.)
You can also purchase 'IHS 80 Indians Forever' shirts there as well. These shirts will also be available for sale at O'Loughlin's bar.
Donate to this Webpage
If you have not already done so, please consider donating to our IHS Class of '80 website.
You can help us continue to make our page free to all new classmates and in turn ensure that we gather as many Irondequoit High School '80 grads as possible!!
The cost of this site is $97 for one year, $249 for 3 years, $349 for 5 years, and $549 for 10 years plus we pay an additional $20 per year to keep our unique domain name. Obviously, the more we prepay now, the less the site will cost per year. These prices are guaranteed for this year only, so we could see price increases in the future. All the way around, it makes sense to prepay now!
Please send your generous donations to: Irondequoit Class of 1980 Reunion Committee
10 Delta Terrace
Rochester, NY 14617
John Mietus challenges his fellow IHS 80 classmates to help raise funds for the 30 year reunion. He will match $0.10 on every dollar contributed by other classmates from January 1 through March 1, 2010. Give generously!
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