Luck of the Irish can be chalked up to hard work
Iconsider myself a lucky person. I have good all around me — good friends, a loving family and a happy life. St Patrick’s Day is on Saturday and with that the wonder of what does the phrase “the luck of the Irish” mean?
Reading about Ireland’s history — dating as far back as St. Patrick himself, I understand that it is less about luck and more about resilience, hard work, a good attitude and sense of humour, which is key to keeping a positive outlook at a bad situation.
The word luck itself is Middle Dutch in origin and comes from the word ‘luc,’ a shortening of “gheluc,” meaning “happiness, good fortune.” Huh, nailed it!
Speaking of happiness and good fortune; Saturday night is the big St Paddy party with Cod Gone Wild.
The quintet, which consists of Andrew Mercer, lead vocals and guitar, Sue Aylard, fiddle, David Mihal, drums/percussion, Martyn Jones, bass/vocals, and Sean Bray, electric guitar/ vocals, will perform at the Okanagan Mission Community Hall red barn — on the corner of Dehart and Lakeshore Road.
With three albums under their belt: The Travelor, Battered and Fried, and the most recent, The Islander, this band of talented musicians not only know their instruments, they possess the potion to create fun.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band is on stage at 8 p.m. injecting the Celtic and East Coast vibes to this shindig.
Tickets are $30 at the door, but I advise you to secure yours today through okmissionhall.net, then follow the link to the Eventbrite payment page — because I foresee this hot ticket selling out in advance.
There will be a cash bar to stay hydrated from all that dancing you will most definitely be doing.
————— The weekend also brings to Kelowna a unique series of talks with author and professor Amir Hussain, under the banner of Lenten Lectures.
This two-day event is held at First United Church on the corner of Richter Street and Bernard Avenue.
Hussain is the author of Oil and Water: Two Faiths, One God. The book explores the differences between Christianity and Islam, as well as the many things these faith traditions hold in common. The first lecture begins on Friday at 7 p.m. then there are three more on Saturday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Registration is $75 for all four lectures and includes lunch on Saturday. No discount for individual lectures: the cost is $75 no matter how many lectures attended. Registration is online at firstunitedkelowna.ca/ event/lenten-lectures-2018.
————— On Sunday, the Okanagan Heritage Society will present Guitar Plus. This afternoon delight is a concert to hear the beauty of guitar music played by Alan Rinehart: guitarist and cofounder of The Vancouver Guitar Quartet, along with Martin Kratky, principal cellist with Kamloops Symphony, and violinist Sandra Wilmot.
The concert is followed by tea and treats. Tickets are $15 by calling 250-861-7188, emailing cohs@telus.net, or at the door — Benvoulin Heritage Church, 2279 Benvoulin Rd. Showtime is 2 p.m.
————— Tonight, world-class fiddler Kelli Trottier will perform at a house concert at The Pleasant Pear B&B, 2379 Rojem Rd., up Dilworth Drive. This intimate evening of country music will bring with it a triple threat as Kelli will most likely give her audience some crisp fiddling, her Angelic voice and a fiery step dance as is the template to all of her performances.
Her talents have carried her to stages across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Far North, making fans and friends at every venue along the way. Tickets are $20 at lynntribe@shaw.ca or 250-717-8432. More information can be found at bcfiddlers.org.
————— I don’t recall who said this, but inside my diary this was written in: “St. Patrick’s Day is an enchanted time — a day to begin transforming winter’s dreams into summer’s magic.”
I hope you have a lucky week, full of clover and a pot of gold at the end of your rainbow.
Anna Jacyszyn is an awardwinning jazz singer. Email her at artafactevent@gmail.com.