-->On March 17th, the Irish (and those desiring to be *Irish for the day*) are in the limelight! Surely, no other day seems to spotlight the greening of spring like March 17th (*Paddy's Day*).
And, the young lads and lasses at The Goddard School, located at 255 Route 70 in Toms River, will celebrate the day by having fun with Irish lore and traditions as they wear green hats, taste green foods, and just try to catch the leprechauns that visit their school overnight, leaving a trail of tiny footprints and green glitter during their mischievous doings !
No, you don't have to be Irish to kick up your heels, *wear the green*, celebrate and have fun on March 17th. After all, the day may be the national holiday of the Irish people an actual holiday in the Republic of Ireland. But, here in the good ole U.S.A, it is mostly a communal celebration of Gaelic heritage and traditions --- and just one of our country's oldest institutions.
As most of us already know, tales surrounding *Paddy's Day* spotlight the wee, faerie folk known as leprechauns. The name leprechaun is derived from the Gaelic luacharma'n (meaning “little people”), although its origins could lie in leath bhrogan (shoemaker). Legends about these folk date back to the ancient Celts. Leprechauns are the elves, dwarves or gnomes of Ireland cobblers to the fairies, who like to dress as dandies. They are always cheerful, but prone to mischief ! They are also the bankers of the fairy world and are responsible for keeping fairy treasure (pots of gold) safely hidden. They prefer to hide the pots of gold at the end of rainbows, and because you can't find the ends of rainbows, you can't really locate the pots of gold. But, according to folklore, they must reveal the treasure to you if you can just catch one of them!
Though most leprechauns live in the mist-covered emerald isle (Ireland), many of them have made the trip to America, most stowing away during the great wave of migration in the time of the Great Potato Famine. Most youngsters know about L.C. Leprechaun, the cheerful leprechaun of television commercials telling American children that a certain cereal is "magically delicious."
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