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By Nichole Butler

March is a month for green. Snow disappears, grass comes back to life, and spring arrives. However, it isn’t just the changing color of nature that makes March so green. Florissant homes and business , like they do every  year, are adorning the glorious color in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.

Little bits of Ireland can be found all around the Florissant Valley.

Most area restaurants have special corned beef and cabbage meals. The Old Saint Ferdinand Shrine was built by the Irish and will be offering tours, a traditional  Irish meal on St. Pat’s Day, March 17  plus and music at the adjoining schoolhouse. (See page 4 for more details).

John Mullanphy, who was refuted to be  Missouri’s first millionaire, helped build St. Ferdinand Church  (now the shrine). Mullanphy donated $6,000 and the church was constructed by Irish laborers.

The Florissant Civic Center Theatre will be having a production of  Tony Kenny’s Jury’s Irish Cabaret, Ireland’s longest running show in Dublin. The show will be held Tuesday, March 15 at 8 p.m. (see ad inside for more information). Private celebrations will be entertained among all the Irish homes and St. Patrick’s Day enthusiasts.

Many area residents attend the St. Pat’s Day Parade downtown, this year on Saturday, March 12.  The City of Florissant has long had a float in the parade, dating back to Mayor James Eagan and later Mayor Robert Lowery, two of the best known Irishmen in Florissant. The mayors and often the Valley of Flowers previous queen courts have appeared in the parade.

However, St. Patrick’s Day aficionados don’t have to wait all year long for March 17th to arrive. Florissant now has its very own Irish store, where Ireland can be found and celebrated 365 days of the year.

TIS The Irish Shop, formally Thistle and Clover, is an emerald gem located conveniently in Old Town Florissant, just across from Fritz’s Frozen Custard.

Cheri Brownlee is found most working days at the new Tis The Irish Store (formerly Thistle and Clover).

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Don’t let the shop’s small structure confuse you. The building, once used as a train station and a candy store, is now a source for all things Irish.

Owners Jerry and Rhonda Dyer opened the store a year ago when Mayer Robert Lowery confronted them with the opportunity after visiting their previously owned store on Saint Charles Main Street.

“We have sold the store in Saint Charles and just own the Florissant store now,” Rhonda Dyer said. “This store is Irish only.” When it first opened as Thistle and Clover, it included Irish, Scottish, and Welsh items.

Rhonda Dyer wasn’t kidding! When you walk through the door of TIS The Irish Shop there is a happy abundance of everything, well… Irish! The shelves are stocked with traditional candies such as the Flake (a bar made of thin layers of chocolate-y goodness that literally melt the second you taste it) to t-shirts and sweaters made right there in the shop.

You won’t be able to resist a giggle as you read the Irish proverbs imprinted on the many plaques and mugs, and the beautiful jewelry and china won’t leave you with a failing impression either.

As if the perfectly priced merchandise isn’t enough to draw in the crowds, (customers don’t need to go searching for that pot of gold in order to make a few fun purchases), the lady behind the counter will make your visit all the more worth your while.

Tis Herself Cheri Brownlee has been working for the Dyer’s for five years. She is an abundance of Irish cheer and information as you are roaming the shelves.

Brownlee is especially fond of the Amazing Fortune Telling 4-Leaf Clover. “Whenever we get something fun like that in stock,” Brownlee said, “I just have to show it to people.”

As winter draws to and end and spring arrives, Florissant is looking more and more like an emerald city, complete with it’s own year-round supply of green Irish joy. Between TIS The Irish Shop and the multiple Saint Patrick’s Day festivities, citizens of Florissant have every opportunity to spread a little of that luck o’ the Irish.

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