My Irish Accent

Nah, I don't have one, but I do have a great joke I tell with an Irish brogue about two penguins knocking on a convent door, a little dirty ending, so unfortunately I'm going to leave you hanging here unless you know me and I can tell you face to face. I'd like my blog to be for everyone and dirty jokes are not.

Back to my Irish Accent...

My Irish accent is a lass named Tracey. Tracey is my cousin Doug's wife and now of course my cousin, my family. This morning on Facebook, she shared with her family and friends a song by The Pogues, "Fairytale of New York". I've never heard the song before or the band, but I loved it and have also now shared it with you below. Share and share alike right? That's what my mom always told me!

I like Irish music, there used to be a bar in Bay Ridge that was all Irish music, may still be there, I don't know, but a slow song will melt my heart and a song with a beat will make me want to move my feet, stomp down and dance like crazy! My niece Jessie, my brother Bob's daughter, gave Bob a CD for Christmas one year, Flogging Molly. Of course I loved the name of the band and when I heard them all I wanted to do was start stomping my feet and dancing! I was in a car at the time so it was kinda difficult, but when you're listening to Flogging Molly you can imagine yourself in an Irish Pub with a gang of friends and feeling the music and the love. Now I've never been to a real Irish Pub in Ireland, but I've found lots of Irish pubs here in Staten Island and in Bay Ridge Brooklyn that give me a good idea of what the real thing is like and of course knowing Tracey gives me a more of that knowing. Irish pubs all have the same feel to them and you either like that or don't. I do. And my family does and lots of my friends too. I love eating at an Irish pub. No, I don't think the Irish are known for more than their potatoes and ale, but to me that's a great start. Not a fan of beer or ale myself, I can't pass a potato! Last night at work, one of the attorneys had clients up late and had dinner brought in and told me there was leftovers up in the conference room. This particular attorney always, always gets the same meal. Lemon chicken with red roasted potatoes. I had already eaten but I went up and made myself a plate for dinner tonight, yup, lemon chicken and red roasted potatoes. Mmmm. I took way more potatoes than chicken. And eating at an Irish pub is usually just like a home cooked meal to me, though my mom wasn't Irish.

I do have family way back that came from Ireland on my father's side, so there's a bit of it in my blood I guess, maybe that's why I feel this way, but there's just a homey feeling to an Irish Pub and the music as well. And that's how I feel about Tracey, that homey feeling, even before she and Doug were dating. To me hearing an Irish accent is so melodic. Tracey could walk up to me and say, Tricia you're a moron and it would sound just as sweet as if she were saying hello darlin' (which is my cousin Sandra's favorite tag line, she's always calling everyone darlin', and it's soooo Sandra, I love it!). But even the kids in my family, I've noticed them just loving Tracey right away. Tracey is sweet and is the type of person who pays attention to kids but with the kids in my family I know it was her Irish accent, she would just say hello to them and they would feel like she just sang them a lullaby.

Tracey does have a beautiful singing voice and she loves to sing. I remember her first Christmas with us, she was broken hearted over not being home in Ireland with her family. And family to Tracey is big, in size and at heart. I always forget but I think she's the youngest of 13, could be one or two more or less, but that's big. That first Christmas she had been trying to call home and the phone must have been off the hook or her family in Ireland were singing their hearts out (which they do) and didn't hear the phone ringing. My cousin Doug is the sweetest man, his heart was broken too. It was a bittersweet Christmas. Tracey is part of my family and loves us, I come from a pretty great family I have to say, we had a great Christmas celebration that day. Tracey shared one of her traditions with us. At the dinner table, they put these little poppers. Two people pull them apart and there is little prize inside and a paper crown. One year we had poppers that had whistles in them and each one had a different tone. We played the most awful rendition of Jingle Bells ever, but we all had so much fun, all of us with our paper crowns on our heads.

Tracey finally got through to her family that night. I think they finally called her, asking why she didn't call them! But I remember her being on the phone and putting her family on hold for a moment and turning to us all and saying, is it okay if I sing along with my family on the phone. Is it okay!? Are you serious!? It's more than okay, thank you, thank you for sharing your family with us on this special day, sing Tracey sing! And she did. That first Christmas was the hardest for our Tracey but I think that it also made her feel like she had a home and family here too. We joined our families that day.

Tracey is my Irish Accent and it's not just the way she tawks. Hey I'm from Brooklyn, I tawk (and tawk and tawk and tawk) but she's accentuated my life, she adds her own special color and style...

My Irish Accent!