Here in otherwise secular Portland, during the month of March, we celebrate St. Patrick, the man who brought Christianity to Ireland. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland too, or at least that’s what I was taught as a child in County Cook, in the then-Irish Republic of Chicago, where they still dye the river green on St. Paddy’s day.
But there is no day to celebrate St. David, the Patron Saint of Wales. He was a sixth century cleric in a Welsh church independent of Rome. According to the Wik: “His best-known miracle is said to have taken place when he was preaching in the middle of a large crowd at the Synod of Brefi: the village of Llanddewi Brefi stands on the spot where the ground on which he stood is reputed to have risen up to form a small hill. A white dove, which became his emblem, was seen settling on his shoulder.”
Saint David’s Day is celebrated on March 1 of each year, but not in Portland, or Chicago or Boston, or even Wales for all I know.
To celebrate both Wales and the month of March, I give you “Mawrth” by Dan Amor. The title means “March” and the song encapsulates the spirit of the month.
Dan, also known as “Label Mode,” would like to thank his fans around the world and wish them a pleasant springtime. “Hope it’s spring-like where you are,” he says.
Here is Dan’s record label – http://recordiaucaegwyn.com/
Here’s Dan’s page on BBC Music.
