St. Patrick's Day in the White House.

It was a balmy March day in Washington as the Irish ambassador to the U.S. headed to the White House. He carried a small gift for the president: a box of Irish shamrock in honor of St. Patrick's Day. The year was 1952. The president, Harry Truman, was out of town. So the ambassador, John Joseph Hearne, dropped off the shamrock and went on his way. By doing this one act, Hearne notched the notion of Irish-America to all of America. By 1953, with Dwight Eisenhower in the White House, the low-key shamrock presentation of the previous year began to resemble the ceremony we know today. A gift that had been dropped off was now presented to the president in person. The small box containing a few sprigs of shamrock evolved into a custom-made Waterford crystal bowl full of sprouts, specially flown in for the event. When John F. Kennedy, himself an Irish-American, the media event was full-blown. Interest diminished after his death, but his successor, Lyndon Johnson, gamely kept the tradition alive. The event took on new political significance during Richard Nixon's administration, as "The Troubles" escalated in Northern Ireland. The conflict between Northern Ireland nationalists and British-backed loyalists provoked strong emotions on both sides of the Atlantic. So the Republic of Ireland's annual audience with the U.S. president became an important way to cultivate a strong transatlantic relationship. In the 1970s, the occasion settled into a more routine, minor event on the schedule for Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. Carter even delegated the task to his vice president one year, when he was preoccupied with negotiating 1979's Israel-Egypt peace treaty. Ronald Reagan, however, was fond of extolling his Irish roots, so his arrival in the White House helped transform St. Patrick's Day in Washington into a jovial, celebratory, all-day affair. By then, the nation's capital was hosting its own parade, and the shamrock ceremony was soon joined on the schedule by an annual congressional St. Patrick's Day luncheon in the U.S. Capitol, hosted by House Speaker Tip O'Neill. After Reagan, George H.W. Bush accepted the shamrock for four years. But it was Bill Clinton who took the ceremony to a new level. Clinton set a precedent by meeting only with Irish prime ministers, not lower-ranked shamrock-bearers. And he used the occasion to highlight his commitment to helping with the Northern Ireland peace process. He began hosting lavish St. Patrick's Day receptions and inviting Northern Ireland politicians to the party. His efforts helped lead to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, aimed at solving "The Troubles" for good. By the time Clinton left office in 2001, the shamrock ceremony and its ancillary events had such political overtones that George W. Bush deliberately toned down the celebration as a way of signaling his intention to limit his administration's involvement with Northern Ireland. President Obama made clear his commitment to continuing the ritual, calling it "an affirmation of one of the strongest bonds between peoples that exist in the world." Ireland, too, is committed to sustaining the custom. A 2009 official government report on U.S.-Ireland relations cited the importance of the shamrock ceremony: "Over the years these occasions have given Ireland generous access to the president ... access that few other countries of our size enjoy." But after nearly 60 years of St. Patrick's Day ceremonies, what's actually become of all those bowls of shamrock? Ronald Reagan used one of his Waterford bowls to hold jelly beans. Bill Clinton displayed his glassware in the White House.

I hope you've enjoyed the pictures. Barb

Outside Sources

 

                                         Outside Sources 

I’m sure that you’ve heard of this idea before, but what about reading old newspapers?  Our newspaper prints news from 100 to 25 years ago every Sunday. It’s wonderful read about someone who was lost in a snowstorm or a poor sot who was caught stealing a piece of fruit from the market. However, there was a story that was about a murder which was never solved seventy-five years ago. That gave me a start after reading the left-behind-clues. 

          Here is a link to old newspaper clippings and stories.

                https://www.newspapers.com/clippings/?

Then there’s the story about the snowball fights and broken windows or cats that go missing. A barn fire and the men from the village who gather with buckets to try and put it out. Watching an old movie, I see the smoke in a house from the fireplace and the neighborhood boys gathering snowballs to throw into the fire.

                                                 Getty image

Short story ideas can be gathered together from many outside sources. The key to fighting off writer’s block is to keep an open mind!

 

Have a great time writing and reading! 

 

Barb

                  Barbs Books         

New ending to an old classic. Little Women

 

          New extended ending to a favorite novel, Little Women.

                                                                               Little Women extended version

     Did you ever wonder what would've happened if Jo March hadn't been able to catch up to her beloved Professor Baer? I always have so I went ahead and rewrote the ending.

      I reread the beloved book since it's right on the bookshelf. It's an older copy from when I was young, but we won't get into how young I was at the time of the first read. Now, I'm seventy-two and still absolutely in love with the book.

       About ten years ago, my husband and I traveled out to Boston and one of the first places we visited was The Orchard House. It's just as grand as suspected. Louisa Mae Alcott's writing desk was right where it was left. The dolls were lined up on the beds. The furniture was the same and I pictured the girls piling on them for the evening and curling up with a blanket. A few of Amy's pictures are displayed. 

     We walked the grounds and left for a nearby site to tour. I pictured the walkway where Jo hurried to her Professor. At that moment, it occurred to me that Jo had many more adventures to explore and journey's to conquer. It was a wonderful experience. 

     Finally, a time to rewrite the ending. My imagination brought me to the moment when Jo was told that someone left the manuscript at her sister Meg's house. She flew over there as if on angel's wings, only to rush to meet up with her beloved, but he'd already escaped from her clasp. Her heart was broken but did it stop her from publication or promoting her book? You'll have to read the new ending and don't forget to leave a review!

      Thank you!  Barb Schlichting

Little Women extended version.      website