Agreed. It also presents the ignorant an opportunity to start spouting anti-Irish rhetoric. Thankfully, no one on the thread, so far, falls into that category.
Unfortunately every occasion is about that for many. NYE understable. So few actually know much about other days we celebrate. Once saw someone say why bring religion into Christmas. All about the drink.
Saint Patrick wasn't Irish. He was a Romano-British aristocrat, who was kidnapped by Irish raiders, tortured and sold into slavery. He would return to Ireland later to convert his persecutors to Christianity. Always a good one to drop on an Irishman when he's been on the Guiness all day. I made one cry once. And he didn't rid Ireland of it's snakes, Ireland never had any snakes. That's just propaganda.
People do, it just doesn't have same hype as St. Patrick's day. St. George was Greek, he never even went to England. The connection is largely rubbish as he was believed to have been created patron saint by King John, the biggest tw@t ever to rule England. George tried to join the Roman army but wouldn't renounce his Christian faith, so they killed him in some seriously brutal and creative ways. He is also very well thought of by Muslims and some Jews, having killed the dragon in Palestine, where there is an Islamic shrine to him. So not racist no, in fact you could probably get away with mentioning him in schools.
As usual we decry patrotism as we are crap at celebrating our history... how many of us would celebrate May Day in the traditional way by Morris Dancing or dancing round the Maypole... very very few.. yet we decry other nations for celebrating their history and heritage... How many of you miserable gits ..go to the fiestas in Spain when you are there... well next time you do..call yourself all the names that you are calling others.... STOP MOANING and let people enjoy themselves... God knows weve got very little to enjoy in this country now a days...
Don't think he's decrying the Irish celebrating St Patrick's Day, more the plastic Paddies who are English. That's very unpatriotic so the opposite of what you're claiming.
Its coming, give it time. Implicit in people moaning about St Patrick's day is criticism of people celibrating a culture they don't see as "theirs". As someone said elsewhere today:- no one goes round claiming to be fifth-generation Belgian, no matter how good their beer is. "Authentic" cultural events are for fascists. Embrace your entirely made-up identity this St Patrick's Day.
Isn't it great to have patron saints who aren't from the country originally? A real "one in the eye" for the racists who want to drape themselves in cultural and racial exceptionalism? The people who don't like "bloody foreigners" are exactly the type of people who love our royal family with no hint of irony, given their German and Greek origins, not an Englishman amongst them!
the pubs in town have had paddy flags up over a week .not good .wonder if they have st george flags up that long .that wednesday fan who runs blar bar has had flags up since last saturday .....nob head
In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day isn't really a big deal, much like St. George's is here. It's the exiled Irish and their descendants who have popularised the day as an opportunity to get pissed and celebrate their Irish-ness under the noses of the English. The English kids tagged along with it because it because they have Irish friends and it's a good and generally peaceful party. Anything that brings people together peacefully, can't be such a bad thing. Guiness completely smashed it as marketing tool, took em long enough though.