St. Patrick's Day

As I write this I'm listening to a C.D. titled "San Patricios" that was released last year to coincide with the celebration of St. Patrick's day. The C.D. features the Irish group, The Chieftans and the Norteno band, Los Tigres del Norte. The songs in the C.D. pay tribute to the Irish soldiers of the St. Patrick's Battalion who fought on the Mexican side during the Mexican-American war. The album cover shows the Virgin of Guadalupe holding a dead Irish Soldier in her arms.  The story of the ill-fated St. Patrick's Battalion is barely a footnote in American History. However in Mexico and Ireland, the Irish soldiers are regarded as heroes. For anyone wishing to learn more about this unusual bit of history, I highly recommend two books: The Irish Soldiers of Mexico by Michael Hogan, The Rogue's March-John Riley and the St. Patrick's Battalion by Peter F. Stevens. There's also a movie about the battalion that came out several years ago titled "One Man's Hero" with Tom Berenger.