Céad míle fáilte

Since this Thursday is Saint Patrick's Day, we went looking for some Irish inspiration.  First, we came across a quilt with this beautiful greeting: céad míle fáilte* (a hundred thousand welcomes !)

Céad míle fáilte, designed by Terri McNeill, at Irish Quilting

Terri McNeill, who lives in County Dublin, is the creative director at Irish Quilting magazine. "Céad míle fáilte" appeared in volume 1, issue 2, which you can browse at the Irish Quilting website (the issue is still available via digital download).

And speaking of St. Patrick, here is an image of him in a stained glass window in the Cathedral of Christ the Light (California): 

For some real inspiration, take a moment to listen to the beautiful hymn known as St. Patrick's Breastplate, as sung by Angelina (you'll be glad you did !)  The hymn is written in the style of a druidic incantation for protection on a journey. 

*Additional links: Are you wondering how to pronounce céad míle fáilte?  It sounds a bit like kaid meel-a fall-cheh..  You can hear how it is actually pronounced - in three different dialects - at Irish-Sayings.com.  Also, you can read about St. Patrick and his life and read the full text of the hymn at Wikipedia.