'Tis the time of year when Americans celebrate Ireland's patron saint driving out all the snakes from the Emerald Isle by coloring everything from their beers to nearby rivers green. The holiday, which is recognized by the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox Churches actually marks the arrival of Christianity in Ireland- although over time, the legend grew to Saint Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland (with 'snakes' most likely being an allegory for Pagan beliefs).
While celebrations in cities like New York, Dublin and Chicago being large and boisterous, in 1999 the tiny village of Dripsey in County Cork went to the other extreme to mark the arrival of the new millennium and began hosting the world's shortest St Patrick's Day parade- 26 yards between the village's two pubs; the Weigh Inn and the Lee Valley. The idea stuck, and while the parade has garnered more and more particpants over the last 15 years and includes antique autos and tractors, the distance remains the same.
Although I'm not sure if the scarlet-tressed beauty shown above is going to Dripsey's St Patrick's Day, she should probably get a move on and finish her sweater for whatever St Patrick's Day event she's going out to.
The image is actually from a 1952 piece by Gil Elvgren called 'A Spicy Yarn'. Both the red hair and the green yarn were part of the 60+ year old original and haven't been photoshopped or modified for the St Patrick's Day Holiday.
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