Countdown to St. Patrick's Day

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The magnificent Cliffs of Moher

Being my maternal grandfather was 100% Irish it is required that I post a countdown to St. Patrick's Day.  Attention: 8 more days until the number of Irish in America reaches over 300 million.

Cheers and check out the song by Irish artist Jim McCann.

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Danica Patrick Survives 3rd Crash to Finish Daytona 500

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Is Danica the reincarnation of the ancient Irish Goddess Morrigan?

We said she was the toughest super model in NASCAR and after her first weekend at the Daytona Speedway as a fulltime NASCAR driver she demonstrated in a way that would make the ancient Irish Goddess Morrigan proud.

In three straight races including the 500 the bad boys of NASCAR knocked her car into walls and wrecks that many a person might not have survived but not Danica, the new ratings queen of the speedway.

Like a cat with nine lives she climbed back into her car for another 200 mph challenge to the men's club of stock car racing.  Even in the five car pile up in just the second lap of the 500 classic, as her car limped back to the pits with the rear end destroyed and the sheet metal battered, this spunky little Irish lass refused to get out of the car in the shop, insisting on staying in the battered machine until extensive repairs were made so she could continue the race.

With her Irish heritage Danica reminds me of Morrigan of ancient Irish mythology, a fearless dispenser of courage and Goddess of victory.  She proved that on the Indy car circuit before moving to NASCAR and demonstrated it again with her courage to finish the race.  It took 65 laps before her car was repaired enough to reenter the race but she came flying out of the pits to the wild ovation of the 176,000 fans and millions of prime time television viewers who were still waiting to see if she could survive.

In the end she finished while the likes of legendary Jimmy Johnson who plowed into her car and Jeff Gordon did not finish.  In fact nearly a dozen of the guys didn't finish in this most bizarre of all Daytona 500 races.

This year's Daytona had a series of most unusual firsts that must have been brought in on the wings of the Irish lass.

It was the first Daytona 500 rained out.  When the second start time at noon Monday was also rained out it became the first Monday night prime time television broadcast of the 500, bringing NASCAR to perhaps millions of new fans.

It was also the first Daytona 500 to get a red flag, meaning the race was stopped cold, because of a jet fuel explosion on the track during the 160th lap.  No NASCAR does not allow jet fuel in the cars though the speeds they reach over 200 mph might seem like it.

This time a truck was on the upper part of the track with a jet engine to dry the track and a race car who was supposed to be passing it at the bottom of the track suddenly swerved into the jet dryer causing a massive eruption of the jet fuel on the truck.  It took nearly an hour to put out the fire and clean the track before the race could be restarted.

It was also the longest Daytona 500 in history taking over 36 hours to finish from the original starting time.  The race extended from noon Sunday until the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

In spite of about ten wrecks, some multi-car, the rains and the jet fuel explosion, it was an electrifying mad dash to the finish that was won by Matt Kenseth over Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

And after surviving three major crashes between Thursday and Monday across the finish line came Danica Patrick fresh from her introduction into the men's club of NASCAR.

NASCAR and Fox television surely got a massive bump in television ratings because of Danica along with the delay of the race until prime time Monday.  She was also one of few new drivers who brought her own major sponsors to the sport.

In fact Go Daddy, the Internet domain company who sponsors her has put her in more Super Bowl commercials, ten, than any other sports star and they are the most expensive commercials on television at $3.5 million each.  Not only did they sponsor her but they were a presenting sponsor for the Daytona 500 Nationwide broadcast.

“I did not sponsor Danica because I wanted to get into racing,” Bob Parsons, head of Go Daddy said. “I got into racing because I wanted to sponsor Danica. If it wasn’t for Danica, I’m not sure I’d be involved in racing.”

The best news is we only have to wait a few days to see her second NASCAR race in Phoenix this weekend.

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Happy St. Patrick's Day

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That's my gentle giant CuChulainn, an Irish Wolfhound, pictured above. I'm Irish so today is the day my dog and I celebrate. Now I'm not sure what I'm celebrating since the Irish history has been more tragedy than joy but what the heck, for one day nothing is going to bother me. Now I am really Irish, yes indeed. My grandfather came from Ireland after the Catholics in my family had been run out of Scotland back in the 1600's and 1700's.





Okay, maybe they weren't run out of Scotland because my family clan, the Campbells ran Scotland for quite some time. But when the British Empire forced Scotland to adopt the Anglican Church and banned the Catholic Church, all because King Henry VIII wanted to marry Ann Boleyn, the Campbells that remained in power in Scotland had to become Anglicans. So family members were given a choice. Move to Ireland and stay Catholic or convert and remain in Scotland. My ancestors refused to give up the Catholic faith and left their castles and hundreds of years in Scotland behind.





So I'm Irish, even my middle name is Patrick after the great Druid and Patron Saint of Ireland. The Druid part is a little known fact but St. Patrick was kidnapped and raised by Druids and trained in the Druid way before converting to Christianity later in life. One of the companions of Druids was the Irish Wolfhound and it was Queen Elizabeth, not the Irish, who personally saved the Irish Wolfhound from extinction when she banned the sale or transport of Wolfhounds from Ireland or England in the late 1500's.



Here in Southern Maryland we have the first English colony that allowed Catholics to practice their faith because Lord Calvert, who was also Lord Baltimore of Ireland, was a Catholic. You should read some of my stories on St. Clement's Island and Coltons Point for some fascinating early colonial history that proves Coltons Point is the oldest continuously lived in chartered settlement in colonial America.



But that is another story. As an authentic Irishman there was one day a year when everyone seemed to claim to be Irish and that was St. Patrick's day. So I have spent St. Patrick's Day in many places where the Irish thrive including Chicago, Boston, Omaha, Philadelphia and New York City where I attended more than a dozen St. Patrick's Day parades. Then I made a journey to Ireland to spend St. Patrick's Day in Dublin.



That was when I realized how rainy and cold it could be in Ireland. It was also the day I traveled halfway around the world only to find one of the featured bands in the Dublin parade that year was the University of Nebraska band. I lived for about 12 years in Nebraska and had seen the band routinely on weekends at Big Red Football games but finding them in Dublin on St. Pat's Day was odd.





But there is a lot about Ireland that is mysterious, mystical and fantasy driven. Speaking of driven on two trips to Ireland I just rented cars and drove through Northern and Southern Ireland visiting mystical, ancient and spiritual sites and you could sense the fairies and leprechauns even before spending the evening drinking Guinness.





So even though I'm Irish via Scotland I love being Irish and being around the Irish. One family secret I will share with you. My family elders always said to remember the difference between the Scots and Irish. The Irish always tell a great story. The Scots always tell the truth.





So in honor of my heritage, in honor of my favorite Druid Saint, in honor of my homeland and in honor of my gentle giant Irish Wolfhound CuChulainn, Happy St. Patrick's Day. And speaking of CuChulainn, did you know there are just 863 registered Irish Wolfhounds in America. There are more Irish people in NYC than in Ireland. And the first Irish pub in America was right here in Maryland, the colony of Lord Baltimore, and was located in Baltimore, Patrick’s of Pratt Street, is, believe it or not, right here in Baltimore. An affable, somewhat unconventional shrine to the Emerald Isle, Patrick’s, on West Pratt Street, has been owned and operated by the same family since 1847.



Tribute to the Irish Wolfhound

"I will give thee a dog which I got in Ireland.
He is huge of limb, and for a follower equal to an able man.
Moreover, he hath a man’s wit and will bark at thine enemies but never at thy friends.
And he will see by each man’s face whether he be ill or well disposed to thee.
And he will lay down his life for thee.”
(from "The Icelandic Saga of Nial”)





This St. Patrick's Day, as always, Irish Wolfhounds will "march" in parades across the country and around the world. Two stunning Irish Wolfhounds, always lead the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade. They are the mascots of the “Fighting 69th”, an infantry regiment that's part of the New York National Guard.



Top of the morning to you.

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