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Wow!  Mardi Gras is coming to an end and then on to another festive St. Patrick's Day celebration! So, is it St. Patty's Day or St. Paddy's Day? You decide! "Paddy" is the shortened form of Patrick, which itself comes from Pádraig. "Patty" is traditionally used as a shortened nickname for the female name, Patricia. For many of Irish descent, Paddy is the only acceptable choice.  Whether you prefer "Patrick, Paddy, or Patty" you can bet your extended Irish fam …

A few years past, one of my Christmas gifts was an  Ancestry.com DNA Genealogy kit. It sat for almost a year before I decided to share my saliva with the DNA community. Although I was aware I had some Irish blood, I was always told my ancestors were largely from Germany. I was skeptical of this technology but became a believer when my results showed that my brother was in fact my brother! Also linked through the DNA database was my mother's half sister and it also identified a first co …