Thursday, March 10, 2022

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:

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

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. 




35 comments:

  1. Good morning Rita, what an interesting post, and I enjoyed seeing your sheep collection. I celebrate the wearin' of the green since everybody's Irish on March 17th. Our area has an all day celebration (this Saturday) with a large parade and then everyone heads to the local restaurants and pubs for music and corned beef and cabbage. We also have the beautiful Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley a few miles from our home. As luck would have it, we will be having a snowstorm during the parade this year.

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  2. So pretty Rita...Ireland's flag story is so very interesting...One year I posted about the origin about St. Patrick himself just to remind everyone it isn't always about parties and beer. LOL
    However, in todays world, one might need a way to escape from the sad happenings in Ukraine, so for the 17th of March,, everyone is Irish... like you and I both said in our posts!
    Lovely tablescape my friend. Thank you for your never ending inspiration and information.

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  3. Rita, Thank you for the history of Ireland’s tricolor flag. Your table pays tribute to the flag and unites the three colors beautifully from Gerbera daisies, roses and Bells of Ireland in your flower arrangement, to your dish stack and ribbon tying your flatware. I love your sweet flock of sheep! As always it’s a treat to hop with you and join you at the table. Éirinn go Brách ☘️

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  4. Hi Rita,
    Wow thank you for letting us in on all that history. Very interesting how those colors became the symbols of Ireland. I always love your sweet sheep and so happy they could be part of the St. Paddy's table. xoxo

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  5. Very creative tablescape for St Patrick's Day. Thank you for breaking down the history in simple terms.
    Thanks for your list of table elements. My first thought was where did she find the tricolor ribbon which is so effective typing your flatware together. You put a lot of thought into your tablescape. I am impressed.
    Pinning!

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  6. I love your sheep collection Rita, and the green, orange and white theme for your Irish table! Thank you for sharing the history of the Irish flag and I love how you used the colors in your pretty plate stack and floral arrangement. Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️
    Jenna

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  7. This might be one of my fave tables because it is so pretty, topical and -- don't take this the wrong way -- not cute. I love how you incorporated the flag colors which gives a sophisticated look with the sheep, which are understated but meaningful. And it's not overly cluttered, you can enjoy each element. I learned a lot from this one! (That ribbon is perfect to "tie things together!"

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  8. Oh, I just adore your table, and this very interesting story, new to me, about how the Irish flag came to be. What an interesting life Thomas Meagher led. I don't know how some people manage to cram so much adventure in a lifetime! I love your centerpiece! It is beautiful, and rather unique. I haven't seen anything like it before. And, as someone who collects sheep, my heart skipped a beat when I saw yours. If you want to take a peek at my flock, perhaps you can visit me here: https://dreamsandepiphanies.blogspot.com/2021/03/st-patricks-lunch-with-sheep.html. Thank you for such a beautiful and instructive post.

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  9. Rita,
    As usual you never dissapoint! I'm loving all of the colors you have paired together starting with the Irish flag. Great idea! Thank you for sharing a bit of history behind every carefully chosen piece to create such a lovely and meaningful tablescape. "May every petal on the shamrock bring you joy and good luck!" Kathleen

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  10. Thanks for the interesting origins of Ireland's flag. I love how you incorporated the colors into such a pretty tablescape and I appreciate that you included your sources for each element. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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  11. Rita, Your history of the flag is so informative and interesting. Love your sheep collection. The fluffy one near the flowers is so adorable! I recently ordered one thru Etsy that was cast iron as I wanted it for Easter decorations. I can't be seem to find them except online but haven't been to any estate sales recently either. Enjoy your day! Clara ❤️

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  12. Thank you for the history lesson on the Irish flag and also of Meagher. Your table really does represent Ireland. Your sheep collection adds such a darling whimsy to your table. My late beloved and I toured Ireland and I can still picture the sheep and the patchwork green landscape.

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  13. Rita, thanks for flag history and meaning. You did a very good job working those colors throughout the table and the centerpiece. I love Gerber daisies and anything botanical like the green plates. I have tons of Irish in me from my mom. But you are right, we are all Irish on St. Paddy's Day!
    Rachelle

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  14. Rita, I loved reading the history of Ireland’s flag and Meagher. I found it most interesting, especially since we have visited Ireland. Your table is a lovely representation of the tricolor flag from the flowers, to the plate stack, and ribbon. I am most fond of your sheep collection. Incidentally, we did see sheep grazing in Ireland. Our city is having a pub crawl on St. Paddy’s Day, all of our downtown restaurants will be lively 💚☘️

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  15. Rita, your table is so bright and cheerful using the tricolors of Ireland and your history of the flag is so wonderful to learn. I never knew this and found it so interesting and memorable since you also made it very personal with your table. Of course, like the travel articles that I sometimes read, it has me yearning to visit Ireland, one of the most desired and picturesque places in the world.

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  16. Thank you Rita for the history of the flag. Their flag is so unique and colorful. Love that your used the ribbon to gather the flatware on the plate. So cheerful and fun. I adore your sheep collection. Your floraL arrangement of bells of Ireland, hydrangea, white roses, orange gerbera daisies is lovely on your Irish table. Always a pleasure to join you.

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  17. Rita this is so beautiful and I love learning the history of the flag. There is much to learn about our Irish heritage. I was just watching The Queen on PBS the other night when the Irish came to the queen of England asking for help because of the potato famine. I just got so emotional thinking about my ancestors and their struggles. If they had not been brave enough to come to America I would not be here today! Great post and beautiful tablescape as always.
    Hugs to you my friend,
    Karin

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  18. Rita, I really enjoyed your informative history of the Irish flag and it's colors --- something I was unaware of! Good to know for when we travel to Ireland this summer. I've always admired your collection of sheep, and have yet to locate a vintage one. We will be visiting an Irish sheep farm and it's one of the cultural excursions I'm most looking forward to.

    Love how you incorporate those colors into the tablescape, especially that stunning floral centerpiece. For my husband's 100-year old grandmother's funeral, we had Irish music, and emerald green coffin covered with a blanket of green Bells of Ireland. I always remember her fondly whenever I see them. Thanks for contributing your talents and personality to the Irish theme hops both years.

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  19. I knew the distinction of the colors of the flag but not the whole story, thank you for sharing that. Love the green Bells of Ireland incorporated with the orange Gerbera Daisy! Love the dish stack and the sheep. Beautifully presented! I don’t plan on anything special for St. Patrick’s Day but I do think I’ll get a floral arrangement in the colors!

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  20. Rita, your Irish flag inspired table is wonderful - it is always nice to learn about the history behind things. I love the ribbon tied flatware, the sheep and the cabbage plates! No doubt when looking at your table that we are celebrating the Irish!! I hope you have a fun St. Patrick's Day!

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  21. Rita, this is a wonderfully informative post. Thank you for sharing all the information about the Irish flag. Your tablescape is delightful! Orange is one of my favorite colors, and I find it interesting how nicely it pairs with other colors. We were thinking alike in focusing on the tricolors. Thanks for this wonderful post.

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  22. Good morning, Rita. I enjoyed reading about the tri-colored flag. And, love your table with the sheep as a special detail. Wishing you a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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  23. I am of Irish heritage Rita. I enjoy doing simple vignettes around the house or sometimes a table setting. I enjoyed the flag history and I want to go back and click on the links to your other settings. Such a lovely floral arrangement and you know how I love your "flock." I will pick up flowers tomorrow and I will look for similar to what you have, so lovely. Enjoy the weekend.......

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  24. Love your beautiful table...the colors just pop! I took those white lacy dessert dishes to my cousin once when we were their house guests....she served pie and ice cream and some of the ice cream melted through the little lacy holes....it was a fun time....they are gone now but the memory lives within me. Thank you for the warm reminder. :-)

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  25. Lovely table Rita! The history behind the flag was so interesting and I love how you incorporated those three colors into your table. The sheep are adorable! I have some Irish in me as well but have yet to set a St. Paddy's day table so thank you for the inspiration! Happy Thursday!

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  26. Rita, I love your plate stack! We think alike when it comes to mixing Dollar Tree, new and vintage plates! The flatware tied with the Ireland flag ribbon was the perfect finishing touch. Thanks for the history lesson about the origins of the flag. It was nice to hear that it represents unity. I love your adorable collection of sheep, too. I agree that we're all Irish on St. Patrick's Day! It's always fun to hop with you!
    Rebecca (Zucchini Sisters)

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  28. Fascinating, Rita! I love all your history and things I didn't know about Ireland. There's some talk that part of our family came over from Belfast, and though nobody's corroborated that officially yet, I had screaming red hair and freckles as a kid, so it seems likely! :) As well as the history, your table is lovely. So nice sharing a hop with you. Happy St Patrick's Day!

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  29. I really enjoyed reading about the history behind the flag, and what the colors represent. Happy St. Patrick's Day to you, Rita!

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  30. Thanks for sharing the history of the Irish flag. Loving your sheep as always and the lovely ribbon for the silverware. Have a fun St. Patrick's week, Rita!

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  31. Happy St Patricks day from a fellow Irishwoman (I wqs born and grew up in Belfast)
    Jillxo

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  32. Rita-I love your St. Patrick’s day table setting and the history behind the Irish flag. Enjoy your day!

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  33. Hi Rita! Oh your tablescape is just so perfect for St. Patrick's Day and All Things Ireland! Love it. Hope you enjoyed your St. Pat's Day! Sorry I am late with my well wishes.

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  34. I did not know this about Thomas Francis Meagher -- how fascinating! Perhaps one day I'll share the history of my rebellious Irish great-grandfather. The table of course is wonderful, colorful and filled with the cutest sheep!

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  35. Such a beautiful table and plate stack of the fabulous tricolor!....I so enjoyed reading the history and learned so much...I thank you for that Rita!...and I'm with you with the sheep...they are the cutest in every season/holiday! Happy Spring Rita!

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