CONTESTS | THE LUCK OF THE IRISH

Next Friday is St. Patrick’s Day, and my son, who is nine, is already asking about his annual sipping of the green beer. I’m half Irish, my mother’s a Doyle, her mother a Sharkey, so in addition to the ghastly repast of corn beef and cabbage every March 17, my mother served green milk and green mashed potatoes when I was growing up. I kid you not. I can still see the droplets of food color landing on the surface of the poured glass of milk, like big fat green tears. Now, as luck would have it, my son is always with me on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s one of the few holidays I do not have to alternate with my son’s father. (Talk about the luck of the Irish: I also got all full moons.)

In keeping with my childhood tradition, I thought I’d serve my son a green beverage or side dish on St. Patrick's Day. I went with beer. There is some continuity in that I use the same brand of food coloring my mother used to use. I’d tell you which brand, only I’m not finding any in the cupboard right now, which means I’ll have to get some for next Friday. My son just has a sip, mind you. Okay, a couple of sips, usually of Corona, which may not be Irish, but it makes for a lovely shade of green. My son and I like to stand in the kitchen and watch the droplets of food color land on the surface of the poured glass of beer, like big fat green tears.

Then we make a toast. Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Here’s to the Irish, and to entering the following two contests.

The deadline for the first one is March 17. The second contest runs through May 21, 2006.

ROAD TRIP, B&B LODGINGS

http://www.enchantingireland.com/Home/stpatricks2006giveaway.asp

Before I describe the contest, I must comment on the photo montage this contest’s sponsor, a Philadelphia-based travel agent who specializes in Ireland, has selected to accompany the offer. It’s a USAir jet that looks as if it's about to crash-land on the West Coast of Ireland. This is not the way I'd want to see the Ring of Kerry. This image brings back memories of the flying incident that ruined flying forever for me. I was sixteen. My flight to New York from Rome was supposed to land in Shannon to refuel, when the lights went out and the plane started descending rapidly at a frightening angle. The oxygen masks came popping out and everyone was screaming. It was as though the pilots had fallen asleep and almost missed the airport. No one ever explained what happened. But then, it was a charter. Years later, when I did a session with Captain Tom Bunn, the aerophobia therapist and retired 747 pilot, he theorized that something had destabilized to the hydraulic system.

The prize for this one includes two roundtrip USAir tickets between Philadelphia and Ireland, six nights in B&B (which is a lovely way to see Ireland), a rental car for seven days. Interestingly, the rental car does not include Collision Damage Waiver. If you win, you should consider getting some. I lost count of the number of review mirrors I hit when I was driving in Ireland. I was that thrown off by the driving-on-the-left business.

HAIL TO THE CHIEFTAINS, PLUS FIVE NIGHTS IN DUBLIN

http://www.sonymusic.com/contests/chieftains/

Sony’s offering a trip for two to Dublin this August, in conjunction with The Chieftain’s playing at the 25th anniversary of the National Concert Hall. The prize includes round-trip Aer Lingus tickets, a five-night stay at Jury’s Croke and a $100 American Express gift certificate. The estimated retail value is $10,000. (Now, that sounds high, doesn’t it?)

My stars: This reference to Aer Lingus reminded me of a fellow I knew in college. His home phone number was close to the phone number for the local Aer Lingus office, and he and his roommate were always getting calls from people who'd misdialed, people who were looking for Aer Lingus. Well, you can imagine what he and his roommate would tell people who called asking for Aer Lingus. It was worthy of a Seinfeld script. Hint: It rhymes with Aer Lingus. It starts with the letter “C.” Hello, is that Aer Lingus on the line?