A Wee Post for St. Paddy's Day

I know I'm not supposed to have favorites, but Ireland is my favorite. What's not to love? Beautiful natural landscapes, ancient tombs and castles, friendly people with appealing accents, fantastic literature, sheep and swans, delicious butter. Not to mention my favorite band. I've been a U2 fan since an October night in 1987 in Champaign, Illinois when a sweaty, long-haired Bono sang his soul out and converted me like a preacher stealin' hearts at a travelin' show. (The vast majority of Irish people I know profess moderate to ardent disdain for Bono and the boys, but one of them confessed to me this is largely due to Ireland's "national vice of begrudgery," which apparently is a thing.)

Are We All a Little Irish on Saint Patrick's Day?

Because of the potato blight in the 1840s, millions of Irish people emigrated to the United States (and other countries) to escape starvation. Many U.S. cities like Boston, Chicago, and New York boast large populations of Irish-Americans. The population of Ireland has never recovered from the mass exodus and starvation that occurred 180 years ago. In fact, there are more people of Irish descent in the United States than there are Irish people in Ireland.

My DNA results show that I'm only 5% Irish (bummer). However, I am 33% Scots-Irish. My Scottish Cunningham ancestors were given land in the north of Ireland by the English king in the 17th century in an attempt to secure the island for the British. As my dear, dear friend Dr. Niamh Hamill from the Institute of Study Abroad Ireland points out, my ancestors were oppressive overlords who stole land from the Irish, banned their language and religion, and let them starve when the potato crop failed. Yikes. Yet, in spite of biology and history, Ireland is my heart country.

So who was Saint Patrick?

Hill of Slane where in 433 AD St. Patrick lit a Paschal (Easter) fire in defiance of the pagan high king. (Photo credit: Craig LaVenture)

In a sense, Patrick was also a preacher stealin' hearts at a travelin' show. As Niamh points out, Ireland's most famous Irishman wasn't even Irish. As a teenager in 5th century Britain, Patrick was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave. After several years he escaped and went home where he converted to Christianity. And wouldn't you just know it - God called him back to the land of his captivity to convert the pagans.

Patrick's great success in winning souls as he traveled around the Emerald Isle was due in large part to his willingness to allow the people to keep some of their existing beliefs. Allowing the incorporation of Celtic symbols and ideas led to a unique and robust version of Catholicism, with Irish culture woven into the fabric of the faith.

What the Irish have taught me about St. Patrick's Day:

1. It is St. Paddy's Day, NOT St. Patty's Day. Get this right.

2. No one in Ireland eats corned beef. (According to Smithsonian magazine, "what we think of today as Irish corned beef is actually Jewish corned beef.")

3. Just say no to green beer.

4. Irish people don't know about getting pinched for not wearing green.

5. Patrick didn't drive the snakes out of Ireland. There were never any snakes in Ireland.

6. Leprechauns aren't cool. Our modern vision of leprechauns was largely shaped by the 1960 Walt Disney film Darby O’Gill and the Little People and bears little resemblance to the tiny tricksters of 8th century Celtic mythology. Over the centuries, images of leprechauns have been used to depict negative Irish stereotypes. In 2021, Irish Ambassador Daniel Mulhall penned a letter to the New York Times describing the use of the word as an "unacceptable slur."
   

Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh

So how will you spend the day honoring Ireland's patron saint? If you don't like Guinness, parades, or cottage pie, might I suggest you celebrate the day with an Irish film? The Quiet Girl is a lovely movie, filmed partly in English and partly in Irish (yes, Irish is a language) with subtitles. Or if you're up for an extremely Irish, yet very strange film, The Banshees of Inisherin is unforgettable, chock full of incredible performances. If you view it as a metaphor for the Irish Civil War, the nonsensical violence even makes sense.  Both movies are currently available on Hulu and for rent on Amazon. And you can never go wrong watching old U2 videos on YouTube. Whatever you do, may the craic be deadly. Go gcasfar le chéile sinn arís.