Today, August 4, 2025, marks seven years since my mom passed. It is always a difficult and emotional day for me, but what helps me is honoring her life and celebrating all she did for me. One thing she always did was encourage my love and passion for my Irish heritage, and helped me learn as much as I could. She did this in more ways than I can possibly count.
Concerts
My mom was always my number one concert buddy. It was my
favorite thing we did together. From seeing Celtic Crossroads and Paul Byrom
more times than I can count to taking me to my first Celtic Thunder concert,
she was a huge supporter of my love of Celtic music. She paid attention to the
local park concert series and was the first to let me know if there was a
Celtic band performing, and we always went when there was.
Celtic Festivals
I loved going to Celtic festivals in school. My mom always
let me go to Celtic Classic in Bethlehem with my high school’s Celtic Club
(more on that later). Once I graduated, we went to a couple of festivals
together, including Green Lane’s Irish and Scottish Festival and the Celtic
festival at Graeme Park. These memories are ones that I cherish so much, and I
am so grateful for these times together.
Presents
My mom always gave the best presents. She knew exactly what
I loved and what I wanted to get. One of my favorite things was a bumper
sticker that said “I love Celtic music.” It is such a simple gift, but it was
one that I cherish. It is still hanging on my wall today, even though she gave
it to me several years ago. She has given me other gifts that I still have and
love to this day and they remind me of her when I look at them.
High School Celtic Club
The summer before I started high school, I discovered Celtic
Thunder on PBS and instantly fell in love. They inspired me to want to learn
even more about my Celtic heritage. Luckily for me, my high school had a Celtic
Cultural Club. We met once a month, and it helped me make amazing friends and
learn so much. Mom made sure I was able to go to the meetings and events. I
never missed an event or meeting. I was able to be the club’s president my
senior year, and when I was making my speech as to why I should be president,
the club’s faculty advisor interjected that I had never missed a meeting since
I joined.
Food
I love Celtic food, and my mom made amazing shepherd’s pie.
She always asked me what vegetables I wanted in the shepherd’s pie and would
make it every so often. There used to be more Irish pubs near me, and she would
take me once in a while because she knew how much I loved these places. These
pubs are no longer around, sadly, but these memories are ones I will cherish
forever.
Related Articles:
-My First Experience as an International Spring Festival Ireland Table Host: https://kiltedowl.blogspot.com/2025/04/my-first-experience-as-international.html
-My First St. Patrick's Day Parade: https://kiltedowl.blogspot.com/2025/03/my-first-st-patricks-day-parade.html
-My First Burns Night: https://kiltedowl.blogspot.com/2025/01/my-first-burns-night.html