(For my children, and others...) My thoughts on our family heritage: The "Great Potato Famine," is now widely recognized for what it really was: genocide. Potatos were a new food introduced from South America, and NOT native to our Ireland....our native food was plentiful, under armed guard, and EXPORTED from Ireland by the conquering British, while our Irish starved. Our recent ancestors who were able to flee our home country, fled in "coffin ships," where many died at sea. We were forced to hide under penalty of death in hedgerows (tall bushes) to speak with our God in our ceremonies and to teach our children. We were forced to give up our languages, Irish and Gaelic. Our family was forced by King Henry VIII to change our name from "Mac Giolla Phadraig" to the anglecized "Fitzpatrick.," (signed document copy is shown online in our global "Clan Mac Giolla Phadraig" web files) Our immediate family, for many generations centuries back, were warriors and officer- soldiers, Healers. All, men and women and children, suffered early or violent deaths, oppression, and loss... Ptsd... and our family stories are fresh epigenetic wounds, generational trauma we are still healing from. So today is a day of celebrating our people's strength, wild humor, strong spirituality, depth of character, love of family and ancestors, everyday mysticism.... and Healing, not a day of drunken Irish jokes. I love our people, the Irish, and the Americans of Irish heritage. Love from, Mom / Kelly. Saint Patrick's Day. March 27, 2017. Nee': "Patricia Kelly Bridget Fitzpatrick" (means: "Patrician Warrior-woman Courage-and-strength Legalized-bastard-child-of-the-Patricians)