It's St. Patrick's Day. Were I still in New England I'd be heading to Manchester, New Hampshire to hear Tommy Makem sing some of my old favorites. One that brings tears to my eyes every time is Four Green Fields, a ballad yearning for the reunification of Ireland.

FOUR GREEN FIELDS

"What did I have?" said the fine old woman
"What did I have?" this proud old woman did say
"I had four green fields, each one was a jewel
But strangers came and tried to take them from me
I had fine strong sons, they fought to save my jewels
They fought and died, and that was my grief" said she

"Long time ago" said the fine old woman
"Long time ago" this proud old woman did say
"There was war and death, plundering and pillage
My children starved by mountain valley and sea
And their wailing cries, they shook the very heavens
My four green fields ran red with their blood" said she

"What have I now?" said the fine old woman
"What have I now?" this proud old woman did say
"I have four green fields, one of them's in bondage
In stranger's hands, that tried to take it from me
But my sons have sons, as brave as were their fathers
My fourth green field will bloom once again" said she

SHAMROCK


However, there's plenty of ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day right here in San Antonio.

Annual San Antonio River Dyeing Parade:
Each year for St. Patrick's Day, San Antonio dyes the San Antonio River a green tint with 35 pounds of environmentally-friendly green dye.
Paseo del Rio is renamed "The River Shannon" for the weekend, while the city of San Antonio celebrates Irish culture with a three-day festival.

2008 San Antonio River Dyeing Parade & Pub Crawl :
03/16/08 (1:00pm): Re-dyeing of the River Green
03/16/08 (1:00pm): St. Patrick’s Day River Parade
St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawl:
In a huge Pub Crawl, San Antonians and visitors alike celebrate Irish music, dance and culture outside along the River Walk and inside its bars and restaurants. Tickets are sold for the Pub Crawl. Call (210) 227-4262 for more information.
St. Patrick’s Day River Parade:
Decorated barges float down the green river in a parade of dignitaries, Irish musicians and clog dancers. The 2008 River Dyeing Parade begins at 1:00pm on Sunday, March 16th at the Arneson River Theatre. Admission to the river parade is free. More than 15,000 people are expected for the event.
More Information:
For more information about the San Antonio River Dyeing Parade & Pub Crawl, call the Paseo del Rio Association at (210) 227-4262 or log onto the Riverwalk website for more details.

When was the last time you took a look at one of the dollar bills sitting in your wallet or purse? I mean really looked at it, instead of just checking the denomination. It's our most common paper currency.

The United States one dollar bill ($1) is a denomination of U.S. currency, and is also the most common. The first president, George Washington, painted by Gilbert Stuart, is currently featured on the obverse, while the Great Seal of the United States is featured on the reverse. The one dollar bill has the second oldest design of all U.S. currency currently being produced, after the two dollar bill. The obverse debuted in 1963 when the $1 bill first became a Federal Reserve Note.