Thursday, Mar. 11, 2010

Erin Go Beach

I have always lived in the South.

Born in Georgia, it's where I grew up and lived until I was 18. I went to college in Alabama, and have lived in South Carolina twice, for roughly a decade total.

I feel like I could be happy living in other regions of the U.S.; people would probably make fun of the way I talk and perhaps some of my customs would be ridiculed, but I feel I could eventually fit in.

I love to travel although I haven't seen too much of the world outside of the U.S. (Mexico, France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland), but living in a different country permanently?

I don't know if I could do that away from friends, family and customs that I'm used to.

Of course, if conditions were completely deplorable here and the economy bleaker than it already is, it would make my decision much easier.

I am always intrigued by people from distant lands who choose to live here.

And sorry Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce officials and other boosters, it does baffle me when I meet folks living in our little seaside hamlet who are natives of more exotic locales.

Including Ireland.

Beyond the St. Patrick's Day hoopla, why are so many shamrocks cropping up here?

What gives?

From an Irish-themed subdivision sprouting up in Murrells Inlet, to a nightly professional theater show in Myrtle Beach touting its Irish tenors to a few watering holes that call themselves Irish pubs, there are strands of the Emerald Isle throughout the Strand. But with St. Patrick's Day quickly upon us - the day that everyone and everything claims to be Irish - what kind of real impact does Irish culture have on us here at the beach, and what is it like for real-life, breathing Irish immigrants living here in our little sunny coastal outpost?

To answer these questions and more, we dispatched correspondent Rebecca Homitz to examine several different aspects of Irish culture on the Strand. From scoping out the wares that Regan's Irish Cottage owner Teresa Regan has picked to sell at her store that she opened in honor of her family heritage, to a ancient organization dating back to 16^th Century that has active members in the Strand today, turn to her report starting on page 12.

I've been living on the Strand for nearly a decade and worked in print media since 1994, and I've never seen a story quite like the one we've got for you this week. Our intent is to avoid the run-of-the-mill St. Patrick's Day story, the type you'll see everywhere else.

However, on the party-side of St. Patrick's Day which can't be ignored, we've got some options for you too, as on page 15 we detail three local outdoor festivals that are set for Saturday.

My Surge colleagues and I will be out and about at the inaugural Irish Fest at The Market Common on Saturday, giving out schwag, taking Party Pix, shaking hands and kissing babies, so make sure you come by our table to say hello.

But I'm also planning to hit up the inaugural pre-St. Patrick's Day celebration on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach too as organizers have booked two of my favorite live bands - Cracker and drivin' 'n' cryin'. I can't count how many times I've seen dnc as Kevn Kinney and the boys hail from my hometown, but I know I've seen Cracker twice, and twice the band blew away the acts that hit the stage before and after them. The first time was when Cracker opened up for Counting Crows in the early '90s in Athens, Ga., and completely upstaged the headliners.

You won't be disappointed if you go see these bands, which perform back-to-back on Saturday night. And the best part; you can save some green as it's free.