My all time favorite newspaper cartoon was published in the Post-Gazette many years ago. A police officer has brought two shamrock wearing drunks into the station, and he's telling the sergeant, "Sean O'Casey and W.B. Yeats here for writing *@$# %!Iran on a squad car in green paint."

My family is almost entirely Irish___Protestant. I have some Catholics on mother's side. But Mom was Presbyterian and Dad was Methodist. He was also a staunch Republican, a bourbon drinker (shudder!) and Irish of the Irish. He told me about Finn McCool, and Leprechauns, and Parnell and why boycotts are boycotts, and he's the reason why I have a cat named Grace O'Malley. (She went to the pet blessing at Sacred Heart Church, so she's an Irish Catolic.)

When I was in grade school, I always had a green ribbon in my hair on March 17. Which is howcome I started getting preferential treatment from the gym teacher, Mr. Sullivan. Which, as I am a fainter, was an excellent thing.