Oh, Those Irish Romantics!

Tradition and romance appear to run deep in my line of the Desmond clan–more than two centuries deep–from what I’ve discovered so far. 

It seems my great-great grandfather, Patrick Desmond (b. 1795) was baptized on his (and my) namesake’s day–exactly 223 years ago–on 17 March 1795. The sacrament took place at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, diocese of Cork and Ross, in Cork City, County Cork, Ireland. 

Whether Patrick’s parents, Humphry Desmond and Mary Huggins, planned to have their son christened on St. Patrick’s Day or that was just a coincidence, remains unknown. 

(By the way, don’t you just love his mom’s surname? If she was around, I’d give her a squeeze!)

I’d like to think, though, that Patrick’s parents intentionally had him baptized on the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint–perhaps as a little extra insurance that their son would have a lucky life after already being named “Patrick.”

After all,  a plethora of Irish babies over the centuries have been named “Patrick” –many in my own family–but how many of those Irish babies christened “Patrick” were actually baptized on St. Patrick’s Day?

Intentional or not, it seems Patrick himself, must have been a romantic at heart. Just look at what I discovered about the date of his marriage:

Yep, that’s right.  Twenty-four years after his birth, on 14 Feb 1819, Patrick was married on St. Valentine’s Day, a day that honors the patron saint of lovers.

The lucky (and beloved) bride was Bridget Cronin, my great-great grandmother (born c. 1800). The ceremony occurred in the parish of Kilmurry, diocese of Cork & Ross, County Cork, Ireland–most likely the same church that Patrick was baptized in 24 years earlier.

Pretty lucky, I’d say, for Patrick and all of his descendants…

And what’s not to love about that?

A portion of the Desmond clan. Apparently they were Irish romantics, based on the dates of Patrick’s baptism (17 Mar 1795) and his marriage (14 February 1819).

 Copyright © 2018 Patricia Desmond Biallas