Galway Girl

I may have some Irish DNA, but I'm not a lover of the traditional corned beef and cabbage St. Patrick's Day meal. This evening, I decided to pair my Guinness with Butter Chicken, Naan, and a vegetable Samosa.

If you think about it, India and Ireland have a few things in common (besides the double I used in the spelling of each country.

Obviously, they both had their own struggles as part of the British Empire. That's pretty much the only connection I could make between the two countries, so I turned to the internet for a little more Ireland/India trivia. A quick search showed that many soldiers and administrative staff in India were from Ireland. By the time the 1890s rolled around, seven of eight British provinces in British India were governed by Irishmen.

India and Ireland were both interested in gaining their independence from Britain, so much so that they formed the Irish Indian Independence League. Apparently, an Irish woman is credited with composing parts of the music for the Indian National Anthem. Even today, the two countries maintain close diplomatic ties. Not surprisingly, there is a large Indian community alive and well in Ireland.

Note to self- look for Indian restaurants on my next trip to Ireland.

Cheers!