Miss Molly Malone!

Crying “cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh” this is a line in the popular song, Molly Malone by the Dubliners. It is also known as Dublin, Ireland’s theme song. No one knows if Molly Malone was a real person or not, but she represents a girl who sold shellfish in the 1600s. The statue was unveiled in 1988 in Dublin and since then there has been a lot of bosom rubbing! The breasts are lighter than the rest of the statue because of all that attention.

Saint Patrick is remembered today because it is the day he died. He was a missionary and brought Christianity to the pagans as most people know. He used the shamrock to teach the holy trinity. I thought the shamrock was the symbol of Ireland until we were there. I learned it is the harp. The harp represents Ireland’s resistance to England. We saw a beautiful harp designed bridge in Dublin and toured a replica of an immigrant boat called Jeanie Johnston.

The Jeanie Johnston never lost a passenger because of its doctor. He checked all passengers upon arrival and if they were ill, they didn’t sail. While onboard, they immediately dumped their waste after using the bucket and they shook out their blankets in the sea air every day. Since the ships became known as coffin ships, this ship deserved to be remembered. I found it sad to learn that the doctor died of cholera while serving on another ship.

Today we will perhaps enjoy a beer and corned beef in our homes, and perhaps tell a tale of Ireland like the story of the Jeanie Johnson.