Holidays and traditions just naturally go together.  Ever since my children were quite small I have been ladling leprechaun soup into their bowls on St. Patrick's Day.  Serving vegetable cheese soup didn't make them jump up and down for joy, but adding a dash of " magic leprechaun juice" to the pot and renaming it certainly did the trick!  Add in an oh-so-easy loaf of homemade Irish soda bread and somehow this super easy meal became our traditional Irish repast.  Corned beef and cabbage was never going to make the list with my picky eaters! 

And we always capped off our meal with a viewing of Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People.  What's not to love about tricky leprechauns, Irish fiddle music and a ridiculously young Sean Connery singing My Darling Irish Girl?  If you don't believe me, you can catch his performance here!

My family is all grown up now, but it's fun to still cook the familiar foods and celebrate, even if the number of bowls around the table is much smaller now.  I was so touched last week when my oldest son requested my recipes so he could start making leprechaun soup for Lily! 

I had lunch downtown yesterday at my favorite Irish pub (another tradition!), and the Capitol looked so beautiful in the sunlight.

I had forgotten how much I enjoy the hustle and bustle of downtown, especially when you encounter kilted bagpipers!!

Before we say Slán (goodbye) to Ireland I thought I'd share my favorite Irish poem with you.  In a recent poll of Irish Times' readers W.B. Yeats' The Lake Isle of Innisfree was named Ireland's favorite poem, but I'm more fond of his beautiful He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven.     

Door County sunset, July 2015

May your day be filled with warmth and whimsy and a lingering touch of leprechaun magic!