Irish Thought for May 2...

Irish Food

Cruibins

Cruibins are pig's feet, also known as trotters.  They are often boiled with carrots, onions, and spices until the meat is tender.  Dipped in seasoned breadcrumbs and fried, cruibins are a popular late-night snack in pubs or from stands outside of drinking establishments, as the greasy, salty pork helps to soak up excess alcohol.

I would like to mention how proud I am of some Irish dancers from our great city (read below to find out why).  And, big shout outs to those Irish Kids' Club members who danced in this event.   

The Irish dance community in Boston is in shock over the news that one of its cherished students, seven-year-old Jane Richard of Dorchester, lost a leg in the terror attack at the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon. Jane Richards brother Martin, eight, was killed in the explosions, and her mother Denise suffered a serious brain injury. Her father Bill Richard and eldest brother Henry, 12, were unharmed. The Richard family is beloved in their heavily Irish Dorchester hometown, and Jane has been an enthusiastic student at the Clifden Academy of Irish Dance in Milton since she turned three. “She is just a beautiful little girl. We taught her since she was a baby, pointing her little toe,” a tearful Eileen Dillon Dinn, owner of the Clifton Academy, told the Irish Voice. “We are just in a state of shock and disbelief. The Richard family is lovely. They went to the marathon as a happy family, and then this 

happened. We don’t know what to say.” Jane, Dillon Dinn said, loved to dance and learn all the new moves. Dressing up in fancy Irish costumes and wigs also filled her with delight. The little girl was on the sidelines at the recent Irish World Dance Championships in Boston, cheering on her fellow students and dreaming that someday she too would get the chance to compete. “She’s a beauty, always smiling,” said Dillon Dinn, adding that Jane would attend class every Tuesday at the Milton-based school not far from Dorchester. “Jane really lives to dance.”

The Kansas City Irish Dance Community along with many other Irish Dance Communities across the Unites States had a “DANCE OUT” for Jane and the Richard’s Family on April 26.

“The outpouring of love and support over the last week has been tremendous. This has been the most difficult week of our lives and we appreciate that our friends and family have given us space to grieve and heal,” Bill and Denise Richard said in a statement. “A private Funeral Mass was celebrated on April 25th with immediate family. We laid our son Martin to rest, and he is now at peace. We plan to have a public memorial service in the coming weeks to allow friends and loved ones from our community to join us for a celebration of Martin’s life.”

The Kid’s Club salutes our Irish Dancers, they are very special young people and so loving, and we are so proud of them every single day but just a bit more this past weekend.