Adding to a post published several years ago…

My Irish Roots, of course, would begin with my mother, Margaret Ellen Downey Coomes. My father, Peter Robert Heinzelmann, has German heritage (that’s for another post!). Below is a picture of my parents’ wedding day at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Dixon, Illinois, on March 1, 1969.

2023 St. Patrick’s Celebrations in the Dallas area

2023 New York St. Patrick’s Day Celebration and Parade

The Irish Myths Blog is a great site to find fun Irish folklore and facts.

The original post begins here:

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Many of us have Irish heritage or wish we did! I wanted to share some of my Irish roots with the blogging community. My maternal grandmother, Eileen Francis Downey Coomes, had parents (Edmond and Anna (Harvey)) who lived in County Kerry, Ireland. Edmond and Anna moved to the states and started a farm in Ohio, Illinois, where they raised six children.

My grandma Eileen met a young, handsome man from Kentucky, Dennis Coomes, and the rest is history… They made a home in Dixon, IL, and raised eight wonderful, Irish Catholic kids. The following pictures are from our family’s momentos, which we look forward to viewing throughout the year, but especially on St. Patrick’s Day.

I love placing old family photographs around our home. They are conversation starters and remind us that our family just didn’t ‘appear’ on planet Earth… we have a strong heritage of ancestors who lived before us, paving the way.

Throughout the years I’ve made real (that would be paper) scrapbooks. While they were time consuming to create, I am thankful to have made them while my children were younger. Opening to one of the pages is taking a nostalgic step back in time. I hope one day my grandchildren will look through them and be curious about their family heritage.

Below is the young Coomes family with four of their oldest eight children (baby Colleen, oldest son Denny, second oldest Margaret, and oldest daughter Barbara). My mom, Margaret, is on the top left; she and Barbara are in the right upper corner picture.

For a graduate school project, I researched the Duchas.ie Irish Folklore website and wrote about its features. The video at the beginning of this post is the final project for the course. Users can read in English or Ga eilge (the Celtic language). It is a well researched site with loads of information, pictures, writings, and much more about Ireland and its people. Below are some interesting pages from the site

Decorating for March/St. Patrick’s Day fills me with joy. March is a transitional month, moving us forward to real spring for many parts of the US. Adding some Easter decorations seems natural. I usually dedicate March for all our Irish momentoes, but any spring decor is welcome.

Even if your family doesn’t have Irish blood, there are many ways you can bring this delightful country into your home. Shamrocks, pots of gold, leprechauns, rainbows, horse shoes, Celtic crosses, and more can transform front/back porches and inside your home into a bright, happy, spring time place. Below are some inexpensive, Irish decorations our family has collected over the years.

May the Luck of the Irish be yours today and throughout the year!

Sarah Heinzelmann Andersen (Downey-Coomes)

p.s. Share your Irish traditions, pictures, and stories:)