St Patrick's Day Flying Colors Tablescape

Hello, and welcome to Panoply! Today we are celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a table fit for the occasion. My theme is St. Patrick's Day Flying Colors - the tricolor of Ireland's national flag.

First, a special note of thanks to Debbee's Buzz for coordinating this event. She has pooled the talents of more than a dozen stylists to share their variations on the St. Patrick's Day theme in this hop. The links and teaser photos for all can be found further in this post, an easy means of visiting each one!

I am not big on collecting a lot of leprechauns, pots of gold or other tchotchkes associated with St Patrick's Day. My geneological heritage is Irish so, of course, I celebrate that. My first tablescape for St Patrick's Day talked of my roots in the Irish country, here. I have since styled several more tables for the holiday. A quick search of "St. Patrick's Day" on my sidebar leads you to the list shown here. This year, I decided on a focus of Ireland's national flag - tricolor - as it is referred to in its native country.

Flown publicly for the first time in 1848 by Thomas Francis Meagher, a leader of the Young Irelander Rebellion, the tricolor was intended to be a symbol of unity. This was a time of Irish people living in an era of the effects of the Great Famine (potato blight) and conflict between Roman Catholics (nationalists) and Protestants (unionists who supported King William of Orange). 

As a young rebel, Meagher and a group of Young Irelanders went to France to congratulate the rebels in the overthrow of King Louis Phillippe I. It was there that the French presented Meagher with the tricolor flag. 

When presenting the flag to the Irish people upon his return, Meagher explained the symbolism of the tricolor. Meagher sought a union of the two religious factions for a new, independent Ireland. The green represents the Ireland nationalism and the Roman Catholic majority, the orange represents the Protestant minority who supported King William of Orange, while the white represents a lasting truce between the two.

After escaping a life sentence for sedition in Tasmania, Meagher found his way to the United States. He later went down in history as Brigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher of the Union Army during the American Civil War. Afterward, Andrew Jackson appointed Meagher Territorial Secretary of State and acting Territorial Governor of Montana. 

Although I mentioned I don't collect the typical tchotchkes associated with St. Patrick's Day, I do favor collecting sheep to use in my decor. My flock has grown over the years, and they are fitting as a representation of Ireland. While the first economy of Ireland was primarily seafaring, agriculture became a major means of economic growth with the import of sheep, goats, cattle and grains from Britain and Europe. Sheep raising is widespread on the rugged hills and mountainous terrain of Ireland to this day, though not a huge economy.

Whether you're of Irish descent or not, just remember, everybody's Irish on March 17th! Eirinn go bragh! 

Be sure to visit all the participating stylists in this special holiday tablescaping event:

St. Patrick's Day Flying Colors Tablescape  Panoply 

Top of the Mornin' to You!  Hyacinths for the Soul 

A Table With Irish Knot Carolers  Life and Linda

Feelin' A Wee Bit Irish  Home is Where the Boat Is 

Easy, Hearty Irish Stew for St. Patrick's Day  Debbee's Buzz 

St. Patrick's Day Copper & Green Table  Karins Kottage

Lucky & Blessed St. Patrick's Day Table  The Painted Apron 

Copycat Red Robin Chocolate Guinness Shake  My Hubbard Home 

Putting a Spring Into My Step on St. Patrick's Day  The Little Yellow Corner Store

St. Patrick's Day Blessings and Tablescape  Me and My Captain 

Flower Pot Leprechaun Hat St. Patrick's Day Craft  Interior Frugalista 

How to Set an Elegantly Nonconformist St Patrick's Day Tablescape  Mantel and Table

Enchanted Leprechaun Grove  Corner of Plaid and Paisley 

St. Patrick's Day Door Hanger Dollar Tree DIY  Zucchini Sisters

As is customary, I like to provide my sources for elements used in my tablescapes as a reference for myself and you. None of the sources are affiliated with me, just personal choices.

Source List for St. Patrick's Day Flying Colors Tablescape

White Tablecloth - HomeGoods

Kate Spade Larabee Dot Green Runner - eBay

Napkins - Crown Linen

Dish Stack -  Orange (Dollar Tree); Green Geranium Bordallo Pinheiro (Replacements, Ltd); White salad (Pier 1)

Napkin Rings - Pier 1

Flatware - Target

Ireland Flag Color Ribbon - Etsy

Ireland Flags - Oriental Trading

Green Stemware - Wayfair

Floral arrangement: bells of Ireland, hydrangea, white roses, orange gerbera daisies - Food Among the Flowers (local)

Sheep - collected (various estate sales, antique shops)

Thank you so much for your visit today, and I hope you'll leave a comment letting me know you stopped by. I hope you're inspired by today's tablescape, and that you'll return as a regular friend of Panoply. 

Rita C. at Panoply

Parties I Share With: Pieced Pastimes, Love Your Creativity, BNOTP, All About Home Common Ground, All About Home Follow the Yellow Brick Home,  A Stroll Thru Life, My Wee Abode, Zucchini Sisters, French Ethereal SYS, Happiness is Homemade, Traffic Jam Weekend, Katherine's Corner TFT, Eclectic Red Barn TFT, Grace at Home, My Thrift Store Addiction, Our Hopeful Home, Karin's Kottage, My Hubbard Home FWF, County Road 407 Farmhouse Friday