16 March 2007

A Wee Bit 'O The Irish In Most Of Us...


It's green beer and cabbage time once again. As holidays go, St. Patrick's Day has to be one of (if not the) MOST fun ones. You don't have all the romance like Valentine's Day, none of frenetic gift-purchasing of Christmas, and certainly none of the leftovers from Thanksgiving.
Not to detract from ANY of those other fine holidays, but this is one where everyone "becomes" IRISH for a day...and that's not such a bad thing. It sure beats turning into a rap artist for a day, right? It's loads better (and a helluva lot safer) than being chased by bulls through Pamploma. And it's a lot cleaner than that Tomato Day gig. It's just a fun day...admit it!
Now the last time I checked, I don't have any Irish blood in me....it's more a cross between Scottish/English and Pennsylvania Dutch. Actually my Christian name is from the Scots meaning "foreiger", so maybe the Celtic influence is there after all in some fashion. I know I can do a damn fine brogue when needed. And I recall my mom always wanting me to wear ORANGE on St. Patty's Day instead of GREEN (like my Catholic brethren)...it was a "Protestant rebellion" thing to her...LOL!
We never REALLY celebrate the Irish anymore (as if we ever did to any length), in spite of all the accomplishments of these hard working (and hard drinking) people. COme to think of it...whatever the Irish set out to do, they do with GUSTO! If it were not for all the Irish immigrants (that came here LEGALLY, btw), the rail systems of this nation would still be under construction. And who can forget the coal miners that labored long and hard, unionless and suffering from a myriad of illnesses just so America could fire up it's furnaces during the industrial revolution? If there never was a potato famine back in Ireland from 1845-1849, would we have benefitted from these people in the same degree we did as history played out?
Still, we do celebrate them...for a DAY. Not a month...not a week, but ONE DAY.
Seems we "could" do a wee bit better.
America's culture is steeped in Celtic influences. From everything to the beer we drink (Guinness for me thanks) to those Escher-esque celtic knots we see in rings, pictures, and even clothing, the Irish are with us. Some great music comes from the isle of Eire such as the Chieftains, Enya, the late Rory Gallagher, U2, Van Morrison, Thin Lizzy, The Boomtown Rats, Sinead O'Connor, The Cranberries and let's not forget the groups Celtic Women and Riverdance.
We have Irish coffee, Irish liquor, and Irish "potatos" (a candy made from cream cheese, cocoanut X10 sugar and cinnamon...yummy). We have the Fighting Irish (here in Indiana), and anyone with children KNOWS all about "Lucky Charms"...
We have that often used Irish prayer: "May the road rise up to meet you; May the wind be always at your back. And may you be in in heaven an hour after the devil knows you died".
We have scores of movies about the Irish, the best (imho) being THE QUIET MAN with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. We have bumper stickerand button proclaiming "our" Irishness..."Kiss Me, I'm Irish"..."Buy Me a Beer...I'm Irish"..."Spank Me, I'm Irish", and so on.
And through all this, I have NEVER seen the ethnicity of the rish being rammed down our throats, unlike other ethicities. I wonder why that is? Maybe it's because these fine people chose to just keep it under wraps, and lead by example. Maybe they just want to "fit in". Or maybe it's because we already KNOW all they have done for this nation, as a people, and are quietly sitting back enjoying this.
SO dig out some green clothing, change your name to O'Something, and enjoy the day. Take a minute to embrace the heritage of the Emerald Isle...
...And never stop looking for that pot o'gold at the end of a rainbow.

2 comments:

Jana said...

GREAT post!

I'm proud to have some Irish blood in me, on my mother's side.

:)

bobett said...

I do believe you have a wee bit
of Irish in your soul!

Happy St. Patty's to you & your loved ones.

John & Bobett Kelley