Opinion

America, especially those of us of Irish descent, celebrated St. Patrick’s Day Tuesday March 17th. It is a global cultural and religious holiday honoring the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. It has evolved into a celebration of Irish heritage, featuring parades, wearing green, Irish music, and dancing. I am a cowboy poet, and I penned this poem to honor the occasion. The beginning of cowboy poetry is thought to have originated from the stories and songs of Scottish and Irish shepherds. These were put into rhyme to help them to be remembered easier. This talent came to America through immigration and many of these immigrants became veterans of the Civil War, known in the South as “The War of Northern Aggression.” At the end of this war time, many of these immigrants moved west and made their living as cowboys on western ranches. Many lonely hours were whiled away by making up stories and songs that told about their daily adventures, as well as their memories of family, sweethearts, and the life left behind in their home countries. This way of life was at its peak in the late 1800s and early 1900s and remains alive in the hearts and minds of all of us that continue to revel in the freedoms offered by the wideopen spaces and the land of “big sky.” These cowboys were away from home and family, so many would use humor in their stories and poems to brighten their day. I say all of that to say this…I have been told that I am as Irish as Paddy’s pig! That I have all the characteristics (Of the Irish, not the pig.) since I was known to kiss the “Blarney Stone.”