Elizabeth Eck ’22
St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner, and the holiday comes with a rich cultural significance. Although people of all nationalities and creeds appreciate the holiday, those with a background steeped in Irish culture observe the holiday in a certain way, and some even continue all year long. Oak Knoll is a prime example of Irish-American students acknowledging their Irish heritage, and sharing their talents with the whole world.
Sarah McManus ’22 and her family celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a particular way each year. In the lead-up to the holiday, her parents will order Irish foods from websites that specialize in them, one of which is foodireland.com. Some of these foods include brown bread mixes and soda bread mixes, as well as black and white pudding. In addition to the shipped food, Sarah’s family also enjoys a full Irish breakfast, complete with Irish bacon, baked beans, and sausages. Her grandparents also send her St. Patrick’s Day badges and shamrocks to wear during the day. Some of her fondest memories of St. Patrick’s Day includes visiting her family in the Irish countryside and the patriotic celebrations of Ireland.
Keira Ardise ’25 has been cooking Irish foods with her mother during quarantine. Since her mother lived in Ireland for much of her early life, she comes equipped with recipes that the pair can enjoy. Their ventures have resulted in shepherd’s pie, mashed potatoes, and stew. Keira is also partial to her grandfather’s method of cooking cabbage, where he cooks the cabbage in water until it’s soft. “I would say Irish culture is a pretty big part of my life because my whole family is Irish, and all of our family gatherings are all Irish people,” says Ardise.
Irish dancing is another tradition that Irish-American Oak Knoll students enjoy. Siobhan Stack ’22 is one of them. She’s been an Irish dancer since she was 7 years old, and she’s been competing in the highest level of dance (Open) since she was twelve. Irish dance competitions can look different each time; there are the smaller competitions (feiseanna) that take place in one’s state, and then there are regional, national, and world competitions. Throughout her time as an Irish dancer, Siobhan has participated in competitions in Ireland, England, Scotland, and Canada. “I’ll fly three days before the world competitions to get over the jetlag, but local competitions I’ll just go the day of,” Stack divulged. Much of her family lives in Ireland, so she’ll visit them when she participates in competitions in Ireland. “My favorite memories of Irish dancing are probably going to Ireland and seeing my cousins over there, because I don’t really know when I would see them if I didn’t do it,” said Siobhan.
Mary Kate Vowells ’21 and Maddie Morton ’21 also are among Oak Knoll’s Irish dancers. They’ve been dancing since they were in first grade, when they took dance classes at their local YMCA. After they realized that they wanted to pursue a higher level of Irish dancing, they moved onto the Peter Smith School of Irish Dance. As with any art, there comes criticism and rejection, but Mary Kate and Maddie have learned to look past that. “Perfection in Irish dance is an unattainable destination, but once we realized that, we learned to better enjoy the aspects of the sport we love, like the feeling of pride we get while dancing on stage at a competition,” said the girls. Their best memory of Irish dancing was winning first place in the 4-hand competition at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Oireachtas with their two other friends. “When we danced on stage that day, it was unlike any other time that we’ve danced before.”