impatient, obnoxious, petty, argumentative, and obsessed over meaningless details
An Irish Toast for a Bachelor:
May you have nicer legs than yours under the table before the new spuds are up.
Parade only exist in Ireland since the 1970s according to http://goireland.about.com/od/historyculture/qt/patrick_parade.htm
First things first – parades on Saint Patrick’s day are not originally Irish, they are an American invention. And far from being a celebration of ethnic and religious inclusiveness, as they are in most places today, they started as manifestations of WASP culture.
Saint Patrick’s Parades in Colonial Times
Ever since a papal decision (in the mid-17th century) established March 17th as the Feast of Patrick died, Ireland’s patron saint is venerated on this day. But real popularity only set in during the 18th century. And while Saint Patrick’s Day was celebrated in traditional fashion in Ireland, the colonies took a more outgoing approach.
The first parade on Saint Patrick’s Day was organized in 1737 by the “Charitable Society of Boston”, New York held its first parade in 1766. Make no mistake – these were parades under the control of Colonial WASPdom. The movers and shakers were certainly white and Protestant, most of them also conscious of their Anglo-Saxon (cultural) heritage. And the parades were events for the British community, celebrating their Irish fraction. British troops raised in Ireland paraded, the health of the king was toasted. A far cry from later parades – and a sign of the times when 75% of the Irish living in America were Protestants.
Only during the 19th century did mass immigration of Irish Catholics change the structure of the community. Driven from their native land by hunger and social disadvantages, the new immigrants tended to be regarded as ranking just barely above Native Americans and Negro slaves. They were “known” to be drunkards, ruffians, layabouts, unable to speak English, uneducated, without discipline or any other redeeming feature. Barely human.
In response to these prejudices the “Ancient Order of Hibernians” (AOH) was founded in New York in 1836 – mainly by Ulstermen. They wanted the parades on Saint Patrick’s Day to send out an internal as well as an external Message. The internal message to the Irish-American community was the possibility of becoming and recognized and respected group, a force to be reckoned with. The external message was simply that the Irish-American community could organize, stay sober and conduct serious business. Both messages combined created what we today know as “the Irish vote”.
Ever since the AOH re-modeled the parades into demonstrations of Irish identity and pride they became popular all over the United States. New York and Boston traditionally being the best-known. But even places like Savannah in Georgia celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day as early as 1824! During the 19th century US-style parades became popular in Argentina, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. Anywhere where Irish communities were established, by choice or deportation. The Caribbean island of Montserrat even declared Saint Patrick’s Day a national holiday, a reflection of the large number of Irish exiles settling there.
And around 1975 the development came full circle – US-style parades were for the first time ever organized in Ireland. Today they are in integral part of the Irish festival scene. With most locals and visitors not realizing that this “tradition” is less than thirty years old in most places!
That would explain the delusions of the Irish and the Americans:
The reality of an Irish St Patricks day parade in small town Ireland is shown by the post motown which has pictures of a typical Irish St. Patrick Day Parade. I remember when growing up that the parade in my town was a collection the emergency services and businesses of the town. The “floats” would have some theme along the lines of the business they were in. It was all fairly pathetic.
The oldest parade in Ireland is apparently the youghal corpus christi
Warning, after seeing this you may need Priest Off
I take it you will be lying in on this glorious day then and not enjoying the craic of the parade on St Patrick’s day?
exactly
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What about 60′s Gypsy Dana in “Flight of the Doves”, the nostalgia porn is pouring out of RTE, should make a showing on the 17th.
porn, the amount of innuendo in this video makes ireland look like a hotbed of sex romps – reminds me of the kerrygold ads where andre was ridin every young wan in the hotel
Finally we know where the wee folk get their gold:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/18/nashville_heist/
Update from the beyond:
In San Diego, like many cities across the United States of America, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by steroid induced oversized men in ill fitting tight green t-shirts trying fuck drunk women with either bulimia or anorexia, also wearing something green. It is like Asshole Halloween.
This year we celebrated Halloween by visiting a Mexican eatery and bar next to our preferred closest drinking venue in the Gaslamp (a district in downtown San Diego with many bars and restaurants; attracts all the best lowbrow desert trash and Asians). The bar we were headed to is our usual hangout in this zone, and happens to be Dublin Square. The Mexican place is next door. Actually, there are two Mexican places next door, but one sells dollar beers so it attracts the absolute bottom feeders.
All three places were packed to the gills, and the place we went to was by far the least popular at only 60% capacity. Most of those were crammed onto the two small sidewalk patios and the bar area of this particular restaurant. Green beer was flowing. Yes, people were ordering “a Green Draft”. First, yes, I know it is spelled draught. We are simple, overfed folk over here. Second, Green is neither a brand nor a type of beer. It is the worst beer available at any establishment with food dye added to it. And it exists for only one day, this magic day. I do not think that the patrons were Catholic, nor did they know what the holiday was originally meant to celebrate. They just wanted to Fuck, and thought wearing green would facilitate that.
Evening highlights:
* Pathetic Asian Desert trash guy trying to get with the older, worn out blonde white girl with a face like a bulldozer’s maw. And striking out.
* Very attractive tall brunette wearing green heels, green short-shorts, some kind of tight novelty t-shirt, and a crew of well attending hangers on seeking to improve their looks through proximity and Green Beer.
* Guy wearing the “Mexico” jacket. Yes it was green, but still some cognitive dissonance there.
* Two guys (together) wearing “Brazil” shirts. Different style shirts, but green however. They looked Indian to me (subcontinent) which somehow explained their lack of understanding.
* Bagpiper wearing a blue plaid kilt, which I had always thought was a Scottish pattern and .. oh forget it.
thanks for the observations Taso – sounds vile, I am glad I went to see Alice in Wonderland instead of seeing the national day of drinking and public urination.
In reply to the last post, while the Taso’s Paddy’s night in St Diego sounds vile, I saw Alice in wonder land myself the other night, and I would have rather spent the night in the Gaslamp.
In one felled swoop I think Burton has done untold damage to the book, and now instead of reading it people will be referred to to the movie, which is just depressing.
After viewing the movie, and on expressing my regret at paying money to see the piece, the arty sooth sayers have rounded to defend Burton and castigate Disney. I am more appalled by this than anything else. I disliked the piece immensely and have kicked Burton to touch. A man who’s work I like, and still do, but this was just a project to him and knew his indie credentials would be in tack whatever the outcome as he smugly knew Walts palace and fireworks at the top, would allow a get out clause.
This is a children’s classic and as such should be handled with greater care!!! Written by, on 21st century irish standards, a pedophile who dabbled in Opium, that a piece of literature so replete with imaginative characterisation to come out of the Victorian age be bashed and hammered by a man who relies on old goth troupes, Depp and his Mrs, to carry a show, is sad. I am sad for the book and Tim.
ON a totally different point, Johnny Sexy, is already past it and I suspect that the IRFU, are all ready scouring the country, to find RoG’s replacement. Taking odds on some minor footballer who played for Sligo two years ago, and is now playing with the Wegians in Galway, the only reason being is that it facilitates a better class of ride. ROG would enjoy the GasLamp! Right up his street.
Strangely enough ROG was not born too far from where all of this went on – San diego, not wonderland. Taso, not incredibly interesting but Ronan O’Gara is the irish rugby number 10 – click on his name in the tag cloud to see more.