St. Patrick's Day was one of our favorite holidays while I was growing up. With a last name like McCann (my maiden name), you don't need to ask why. Get in the mood for your celebration by decorating with Irish cross stitch items.
Irish Cross Stitch Links
A simple idea is to stitch a famous Irish saying or blessing along with a shamrock. You can find a free shamrock pattern at Carrie's Cross Stitch. She also offers a shamrock towel design.
Celtic Cross Stitch is a great Irish cross stitch site. They allow you to create free patterns of any phrase, name, etc. (30 characters max) with a Celtic alphabet. Designs/kits of a Celtic nature are available for purchase. (They also have a good tutorial on beginning cross stitch which uses animated diagrams.)
For another Celtic website, see Aon Celtic Art & Illumination. The freeware includes Celtic cross stitch designs.
Sue's Freebie Finder has a special section for St. Pat's/Irish charts.
Irish Blessings
Don't know any Irish sayings? Short phrases would work great on a towel, bread cloth, baby bib, or even framed. Here are some of my favorites:
Erin Go Bragh (Ireland Forever)
Luck o' the Irish
Kiss me I'm Irish
When Irish Eyes are Smilin'
Top o' the Morning
Cead Mile Failte (A hundred thousand welcomes)
May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows you're dead!
Longer blessings or toasts would look great framed or on a pillow. My favorite is a traditional blessing:
May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
More Irish sayings can be found at these sites: MomWiz Irish Blessings, and Sláinte! Toasts, Blessings, and Sayings.
Irish Folk Songs
If you have a favorite Irish ditty that you'd love to cross stitch, check Irish Folk Songs for the lyrics.
The Shield of St. Patrick
Sometimes I think we forget that St. Patrick's day is really a religious holiday. It celebrates the life of the saint who brought Christianity to Ireland. With that in mind, I'll end with a prayer attributed to him.
I take for my sureties:
The power of God to guide me,
The might of God to uphold me,
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