I am told that when you fly into Ireland, on top of it being the “Emerald Isle” — because it is exceptionally green — it is also a patchwork. The countryside, which is much of the country, is broken up into incongruous pieces of (farm)land, oftentimes framed by stone walls dating back generations, if not centuries.
While we are not likely to have any proper stone walls dating that far back, the patchwork of Ireland is a natural fit for Green County, especially as we gear up towards the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade next Saturday. While it no doubt applies to much of Wisconsin, the rolling, bucolic hills that surround us remind me of Ireland. It is our own patchwork. And, because of this mild winter, the grass on the courthouse lawn is exceptionally green for this time of year.
Over the past few years, we have had a theme for each St Patrick’s Day. They have been largely universal — sláinte (health), and teaghlach (family). So this year, we wanted to do something a bit more specific to our community — A Touch of Ireland in the Patchwork of Green County.
That has at least two tie-ins.
When I hear patchwork, I think of quilting. Because of its useful connection of odd pieces, the patchwork quilt is widely recognized as a symbol of security and family. You are likely to know someone who quilts and quilts often. My grandma, who lived to be almost 93, took up quilting in her later years. After having become less of a thing for her mom than her grandmother and less popular overall when she was growing up in the early twentieth century, it seems to have made a resurgence. It became a communal culture for her: quilting with friends, in organized groups through church, making fabric runs with my mom and aunts. While not exactly the same, my mind goes to the barn quilts around Green County. They certainly represent a communal culture: family and security within it.
Secondly, and more literally, the patchworks of Green County and Ireland exist because of the roads that define each “patch.” They may define boundaries and be perceived as barriers, especially from the sky, but when we use them, they connect us. They connect us to family, to different cultures, different pockets of life, to life itself.
The Irish have a saying, may the road rise up to meet you. I, of course, hope that the road rises up to meet you next week when we come together as a community, celebrating Irish heritage, and community in general. It is a day where you can see your grandkids in the parade, your neighbor’s business, so much more, and enjoy. There is security in that. But I also hope the road rises up to meet you as we move into a new season, maybe into a new phase of life. And I hope it does, too for those of us continuing on the same literal road, especially. The road that allows us to have a community and the beauty of a patchwork is worth recognizing and one for which we should always hope.
The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be next Saturday, March 16 at 1:17 p.m.
— Jordan Nordby is the executive director for Main Street Monroe. He can be reached at MonroeMainStreet@tds.net. Complete details on Main Street Monroe and its efforts can be found at mainstreetmonroe.org.
