Eryn's Traditional Irish Birthday

by Eryn
(Minnesota)

My family is from a very Irish background. So for my 21st birthday, they decided to throw me a traditional Irish party. All of my relatives came down for the party (my mom and dad were even able to fly in my grandparents from the Emerald Isle itself).

The party was enormous, loud, and completely awesome!

My uncle Tom had learned how to play the bag pipes for a school project in high school. He performed some ancient Irish songs. Some of my more distant, musically-talented relatives had gotten together and came up with a few arrangements to perform. My Dad even stood up and sang a song for my birthday!

My parents managed to make a feast of really great Irish cuisine. There were dishes with oysters and other shellfish, fish like trout and salmon. That night, I had Ulster fry, bacon and cabbage, Drisheen, and Crubeens for the first time. It was fun to try the unique types of food that the Irish have eaten for centuries!

There was also a lot of Irish beer. My relatives are all big drinkers, and drinking is very Irish, especially at large social gatherings. My relatives can be extremely interesting when they get drunk, so the party was a good time from the start.

My favorite part of the night was listening to my grandparents tell stories of growing up in Ireland. I hadn't seen them for nearly ten years (we went to visit them once when I was eleven), so I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk to them.

My grandparents were very interesting to listen to, and I realized that their life was a lot different than how I grew up in the United States.

I wish I had their awesome Irish accents!

- Eryn