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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Decked out in a bright green blouse with a shamrock necklace, it&#8217;s easy to tell that Maureen Malone is very proud of her Irish heritage. Her five children all have traditional Irish names and she even traveled to Ireland to see the land where her forefathers came from.</p><p>&#8220;I loved it,&#8221; she said of the experience. &#8220;I hitchhiked over the entire country of Ireland by myself.&#8221;</p><p>In honor of St. Patrick&#8217;s Day &#8212; and on the eve of the city&#8217;s St. Patrick&#8217;s Day parade &#8212; Malone organized a Celtic tea on Saturday at the historic Frederick Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre. Held annually, the event was meant to give guests a taste of what 19th-century Ireland was like and how the holiday was celebrated during that era.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s excellent,&#8221; said Hazleton resident Monica DeLucca.&#8220;It&#8217;s like when you walk through the front door, it&#8217;s just like walking into another time.&#8221;</p><p>Guests sat around ornate dining tables and were served tea as well as traditional Irish foods such as scones and shepherd&#8217;s pie. During the tea, short presentations were given about the history of St. Patrick&#8217;s Day and how the Irish immigrated to the U.S.</p><p>Jennifer Ochman, dressed in traditional 19th-century attire &#8212; including a long maroon skirt, a long-sleeve high-collared white blouse and with a bright-red knit shawl draped over her shoulders &#8212; told visitors about the Irish potato famine of the 1840s.</p><p>&#8220;When that happens, the fabric of Irish society basically unravels,&#8221; she explained, referring to the famine. The failure of the potato crops, which was a way of earning a living for many Irish citizens, forced them to make the voyage to the U.S. for other opportunities. Ochman said the ships used to make the trip were dubbed as &#8220;coffin ships,&#8221; because so many people did not survive the journey.</p><p>Karen Ross, of Forty Fort, had great-grandparents who immigrated from Ireland and settled in Luzerne County. She attended the tea and enjoyed it immensely.</p><p>She also drinks lots of tea on St. Patrick&#8217;s Day, eats traditional foods, and wears green. &#8220;I make her make me potato soup,&#8221; Ross said, pointing to her mother who sat across the table from her. &#8220;Growing up in a very Irish family, every day is St. Patrick&#8217;s Day.&#8221;</p><p>Wilkes-Barre will be holding its annual St. Patrick&#8217;s Day parade Sunday starting at 2 p.m. on South Main Street.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_TTL-03112018-Celtic-tea-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ron and Cathyrae Porter, of Pittston, enjoy an old-fashioned Celtic tea party in the Frederick Steigaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_TTL-03112018-Celtic-tea-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Ron and Cathyrae Porter, of Pittston, enjoy an old-fashioned Celtic tea party in the Frederick Steigaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday afternoon. </caption0><photoCredit0>Charlotte Bartizek | For the Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_TTL-03112018-Celtic-tea-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A mantel timepiece says it&#8217;s tea time at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre. Saturday afternoon&#8217;s event was meant to transport visitors back to 19th-century Ireland. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_TTL-03112018-Celtic-tea-3.jpg</photo1><caption1>A mantel timepiece says it&#8217;s tea time at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre. Saturday afternoon&#8217;s event was meant to transport visitors back to 19th-century Ireland. </caption1><photoCredit1>Charlotte Bartizek | For the Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_TTL-03112018-Celtic-tea-6.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Beth Willison, Swoyersville, pours tea as Jadi Willison watches during an afternoon Celtic tea at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_TTL-03112018-Celtic-tea-6.jpg</photo2><caption2>Beth Willison, Swoyersville, pours tea as Jadi Willison watches during an afternoon Celtic tea at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Charlotte Bartizek | For the Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Kulsoom Khan</p><p>kkhan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Locals experience 1800s-style St. Patrick’s Day at WB tea party