'Top of the morning to you"... "and the rest of the day to yourself" is oft heard exchanged between the descendants of the Irish immigrants that cleared and settled the Upper Ottawa Valley where my cottage is located. My own ancestors from my entire patriarchal line hail from such hardy peasant stock as settled and developed the Quebec side of the river, carving out along the way a small corner of 'la belle province' where English has remained the overwhelmingly dominate language and culture. As St. Paddy's Day draws closer, in church halls from one end of the Valley to the other, the sounds of fiddle and step dancing rehearsals fill the air. The 17th of March is a touchstone day for many - a day marked by sitting with family and friends in crowded bars, drinking green beer and listening to traditional Irish jigs, ballads and reels. As Fred Meilleur, local legend and hotelier from Chapeau onces said: there will always be 'spiritual' services ce...