Yes, I'm Irish! Go ahead and Kiss Me!

With a name like Simone, it doesn't clearly reveal my Irish heritage, but I am in fact a nice Irish girl. Ok, maybe not necessarily nice. I am a Mc Spic. Half Irish, half Mexican..which means I drink alot and have a bad temper. **ba-dump-bump** I came up with that in high school and use it all the time. My father is Irish, my mother Mexican and I swear looking at them I cannot believe my sister and I were ever born. They are the most unlikely pair. So, I am not quite pale white, but light. I love to drink and hate really spicy foods. I love tequilla and get sunburned. I have a horrible temper, but I am super fun. It is like the two ethnicities got together and made a deal. Unfortunately, it means I don't really fit in clearly on either side.

The name Simone doesn't really fit in anywhere. It isn't Irish. It isn't Mexican. It is just because my mother was a hippie in the early 70s and she just liked the name. She obviously didn't take into account the Irish last name...Collins, so the name flows until you get to the end. When I was in college studying theater, I always said I would drop my last name and my stage name would just be Simone Gabrielle. I thought maybe I could pull off being French.

My dad named my sister, which apparently was the agreement. She got the nice Irish name Colleen Patrice. Everyone looks at her perplexed though because she clearly looks Mexican... short, perfect complexion and tan all year round. Go figure.

My grandparents were really into the Irish pride and I always loved that growing up. They had the pictures of St. Patrick around the house, the Irish flag and even a shillelah hanging on the wall. Everyone in the family wore a claddagh ring. I think because it is so reminisent of them, I embrace it that much more. I love anything Irish. Kinda reminds me of the old SNL skit with Mike Meyers, "if it's not Scottish, it's crap." When I was a kid and the St. Patrick's Day Parade was actually ON St. Patrick's Day, I would skip school to go. My gramps would ride around in a little car with the Shriners and my aunt was the "queen" one year. I always wanted to be in the queens court but sadly they would never let any half-breed on the float.

This is my 2nd favorite holiday right after Halloween. It just seems like a fun day. Everyone is wearing my favorite colour and drinking....what could be better. Plus, my granparents loved being Irish and this day so much, it is a great connection to them. Unfortunately, they are not here to make me wear an itchy wool sweater. Plus, I wish that my sister and I had plans because it doesn't fall on a Friday that often, but sadly we are moms now. We will be eating the corned beef and cabbage tomorrow with my dad, no meat during lent. Plus, I am making my famous Irish soda bread tonight. I am such a good Catholic Irish girl, or so I tell everyone.

So, in typical McSpic fashion, I will be raising that pint of green beer this evening to my grandparents, who I am sure are listening to the pipes and dancing a jig behind those pearly gates today, because lord knows they were there that half hour before the devil knew they were dead. Happy Green Day!