Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Mar 22/02) - The Irish of Inuvik and those with Irish in their heart paid tribute to St. Patrick last weekend with one of the highlights taking place at the large family hall.

The evening opened with a visit from the good saint himself, bedecked in green finery, telling the crowd a bit of his history.

Doug Robertson said the blessing and the 130 guests filed up on a buffet of Irish stew, bannock and a selection of fishes.

Colum McCready was one of the event's organizers. One of the five first generation Irishfolk who now call Inuvik home, he said the evening was a great success.

"It went very well," McCready said. "We had 130 people this year, compared to last year's 80."

The crowd was a veritable who's who in Inuvik, with heads from the IRC, the GTC, RWED, BDEC and most other Delta acronyms well-represented. IRC chief executive Nellie Cournoyea even provided the salmon, char and trout for the buffet.

Following the feast, there were skits, music, jokes and jigs.

"We normally do up a script with songs and themes to provide the blessing of St. Patrick," McCready said. "It's a program of songs and themes followed by a dance."

This year they went with two Irish dances: the Seeds of Venice and the Walls of Limerick, followed by two Scottish dances: the Cumberland Reel and the Gay Gordons.

The traditional music was supplied by Gerry Woolridge and Morrie Randle. McCready, originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, said the group did rehearse, despite what it may have looked like.

"We practised for a couple of weeks and we had a lot of fun, but if there were any real Scottish dancers there, they would have been rolling their eyes," McCready laughed later.

The dance was followed by sets of skits and jokes. One detailed an Irish radio show and another was based on a leprechaun joke.

The dance continued into the wee hours, with guests enjoying the spirit of the day and even a taste of a rare commodity in the Delta -- draft beer. "We tried to give people a taste of old Irish hospitality," McCready said. "The theme was based on an Irish family get-together."

With the success of the second St. Paddy's Day in the Delta, McCready says there'll likely be another next year.

"If we're still alive, we'll do another," his Irish eyes smiled.