Any morning I wake up Pat is a good one!
A scattered people with humour and talent
No doubt many of our readers, like tens of thousands of other Kiwis, have some Irish ancestry. In the 50 years following the Irish famine in the 19th century, over half the population of Ireland migrated to the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. They took with them their talents, culture, religion and good humour, and subsequently made huge contributions to the development of their new homelands.
Today is St Patrick’s Day and in many shops, supermarkets, rest homes, bowling clubs and work places people have been wearing silly hats, costumes and even wigs of the colour green. This colour is closely associated with Eire, and the country is well known for its green countryside. However the national flag also has a strip of orange: a colour associated with Protestants and Northern Ireland.
