Richard Toumey is an adjunct writing professor at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, who specializes in working with international students. He is also a project consultant, writer and editor. He said that every March he reminds everyone of his Irish ancestry in hopes of not having to pay his share of the check on St. Patrick’s Day.
Many Americans will eat corned beef and cabbage in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, but it will not make them more Irish. Neither will drinking green beer. These are American fascinations.
In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day honors the country’s patron saint, the man who brought Christianity to the wild inhabitants of an island on the northeastern edge of the Atlantic Ocean. If you use March 17 as an excuse to drink and party in public, you’re being American. In Ireland, you’d be far more likely to go to church in the morning and spend the evening feasting with your family.
An Irish-American Celebration
St. Patrick’s Day parades became large events in the U.S. as a way for Irish immigrants to publicize their desire for respect and equal rights. Beginning in the 1840s, refugees from the Irish potato famine had been seen as an unwelcome nuisance as they appeared in increasing numbers in America. Businesses with hiring opportunities often put job opening signs in their front windows that added, “No Irish need apply.” Proud and vocal, these unwanted minority members took their grievances to the streets and unintentionally started an annual national party.
Over decades, their politics and lively culture became an irresistible shaping influence on American life. As the Irish took up public service with enthusiasm, their social impact became undeniable and inescapable. The buoyant flair of their arts, especially music, and an optimistic celebratory spirit wove itself into the national identity.
The immigrants became tastemakers. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations became an annual reminder of the enduring Irish influence in the United States.
The Lasting Tradition
The Irish tradition of derision for the British, who occupied the Emerald Isle for centuries, is suspended for St. Patrick. In the fifth century, Patrick was kidnapped from Britain at 16 by Irish raiders who took him to their homeland as a slave. He escaped, returned to Britain and became a priest. Then he journeyed back to Ireland to bring the Gospel to its spirited inhabitants.
His mission was a success despite meeting great resistance. The new religion began to replace local polytheism. Ireland claimed Patrick as its own. Christian monasteries appeared across the island and their monks embraced the duty of preserving classical texts with lavishly decorative artwork.
Though it’s a celebration that includes feasting and alcohol, St. Patrick’s Day falls during Lent. Lent is a 40-day period of Christian prayer and penance when the devout suspend their excesses of consumption. But in the typical Irish blend of reverence and irreverence — essential to the Irish character — religious authorities allow for this one-day suspension of religious disciplines. As a result, this patron saint’s day of remembrance offers a more festive character than is typical of pious commemorations.
Current Practices
The push-pull of Irish identity is evident in its folk dancing, on display at almost all festivities of the day. Wild from the waist down, dancers are unbending and civilized from the waist up. Pagan below, Christian above in the same moment. The evolving traditions for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day vacillate between these two polarities of the culture.
The Irish closed their pubs on St. Patrick’s Day for decades during the 20th century to preserve the day’s religious dignity. Now Ireland recognizes the occasion as also an opportunity to promote Irish culture and tourism. The pubs are open again, to the relief of visitors and many locals. Street parades and festivals appear in major Irish cities, but this tradition is an export from America, a gift back to the homeland.
How can you enjoy the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day? Have fun. Enjoy yourself according to your tastes. You can be like the Irish and go to Catholic Mass, then gather the family for a big meal in the evening. Or you can be American, wearing green and drinking Irish beer.
Either way, listen to sprightly music that showcases aggressive fiddles, sing along whether or not you know the words, and laugh much more than is polite.
As one with a strong Irish heritage, though, let me assure you — no beer worth drinking is improved by coloring it green.
