I don’t really celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but I live in a city that likes to go all out for this holiday. They dye the river green and there are celebrations for days. That’s why it’s so strange to have such a quiet St. Paddy’s for the first time in my memory. It was beautiful outside today – the sun was out, the weather was cool but not cold. But because people are starting to take precautions it was quiet out (for a big city, that is). There were some people walking by the lake or biking, but all keeping away from one another. Downtown was quiet at 5:30, when usually it’s a bustle of black and grey coats all heading home, streets jammed with buses and cars and taxis (or rideshares now). The storefronts were quiet, many of them were dark. The park was quiet and people were staying in despite the beautiful weather in March. Like I said, strange times.

To get back to my point. It’s St. Patrick’s Day and it’s a quiet one. I don’t celebrate but I’ve always loved Irish folk music. I used to listen to The Corrs a lot when I was younger – I loved that they were pop music with an Irish folk bent. I liked how they would always put a few traditional instrumental pieces on their albums, and how they used traditional Irish instruments along side typical pop sounds – tin whistle, bodhrán, fiddle. It created a very fun and unique sound. It was also a great gateway to Irish folk music. I’ve always loved the sounds of Irish folk songs because it has so much life in it. The music is haunting and sweet with whistles and fiddles but the drums ground it, and the lyrics of the songs always tell the most interesting stories – from lost and unfaithful loves to fairy tales. It’s a unique genre unto itself.

So for this quiet, strange St. Patrick’s Day I chose a song that mixes a bit of the modern and the traditional. It’s a collaboration between The Chieftains and The Corrs on a traditional Irish folk song. It always makes me tap my feet and sing along. I hope you all can find a little joy in this song too, and that you’re all keeping safe and well wherever you are today.

“I Know My Love” by The Chieftains and The Corrs

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