Greening for Irish Ayes.

“Quiet. Keep your head down and try to look skinny to fit in,” a mother dollar weed cautions her twins about life in the lawn. “Danger lurks at every spin of the blade or crush of the paw.”©

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated as much as Cinco de Mayo in Texas

For good reason.

Oh, it is not all about the consumption of beer although…

Both are on the table of our mutt heritage.

Remember the Alamo? 

Among those who died defending the Alamo in March 1836 were 12 who were Irish-born, while an additional 14 bore Irish surnames. There may have been others.

From The Texas State Historical Association and the Handbook of Texas Online:

“Natives of Ireland were among the first settlers in Spanish-ruled Texas, and the story of the Irish in Texas is in many ways coincident with the founding of the republic and the development of the state. The heritage of the Irish seems in retrospect to have peculiarly suited their migration to a new land, for the English dominance of Ireland must have been to the new colonists in Texas a close parallel to the oppression they eventually found in the new country. It is not surprising that as many as twenty-five Irishmen probably signed the Goliad Declaration of Independence, that four signed the actual Texas Declaration of Independence, and that 100 were listed in the rolls of San Jacinto, comprising one-seventh of the total Texan force in that battle. Probably the first Irishman in Texas was Hugo Oconór, who became governor ad interim of Texas in 1767.”

“The descendants of generations who had long fought and died for their civic and religious liberties, the Irish were quicker than most to recognize incursions upon their rights and to defend against them.”

“The 1850 census listed 1,403 Irish in Texas; ten years later the number was 3,480.”

“The Irish were third among those claiming European ancestry, following English and German.”

Read the rest here.

Another tale of an Irish man who came seeking some green can be found in “The Irish Colonies of Texas“:

“John (Juan) McMullen Irish Empresario & Co-founder of the McMullen & McGloin Colony, was born in Ireland in 1785 most probably in east Donegal County or in a county of North-East Ulster…” After landing in Baltimore, he became a merchant and migrated to Matamoros, Mexico sometime in the early 1820’s.

Seeing land available, he encouraged Irish families to come and settle here, and, and eventually became a judge only to be assassinated in his sleep.

In Mexico and the Southwest, many also wear the green on St. Patrick’s Day to honor Mexico’s Fighting Irish.

St. Patrick’s Battalion (also called the San Patricios and Los Colorados) was created by soldiers who deserted the US army for Mexico during the unpopular Mexican American War(1840’s) when the US invaded Mexico.

“The Green Command” were fierce fighters joined Mexico as they had not been allowed citizenship, they opposed fighting other Catholics, Mexico had already outlawed slavery, and the Irish faced tremendous and cruel prejudice in the US at the time.

After the war, only the Irish were hung (Not shot by firing squads as military law required) while all other deserters received pardons and allowed to fight in the Civil War.

The grass definitely looked greener on the other side of the conflict to them.

So here’s to all who were equal to the land: their freewheeling style, music, food and, of course, drink.

Cerveza para todos. Sláinte

Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge

Under cover of darkness or light. In rain or drought, Dollar Weed armies march across the landscape each spring. ©

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