St. Patrick’s Day is looming
Posted By Kathleen David on March 13, 2004
As we head to St. Patrick’s day, I am seeing more and more advertisement from the beer companies for the holiday. I am of Irish heritage 24/7. I still have 2nd and 3rd cousins in Ireland. I HATE St. Patrick’s day with the fiery passion of a 1000 suns. A long time ago (OK beginning of the century) St. Patrick’s day was the Irish equivalent of Gay Pride Day now. It was started at a time where boarding houses had signed that said no dogs or Irish. Now it seems to me to be an excuse for people to get drunk and not feel bad about it. It has become a manufacturer’s holiday rather than a celebration of Irish pride. Also if I hear one more of those rafferty tafferty accents of someone pretending to be irish, I may do some harm to them.
Am I proud to be Irish? Heck, yea. I am also very proud of my Polish heritage. Chopin was Polish. I lived through the early 80s and all the polish jokes. Most Poles I knew just let that fad wash like water under a bridge. Poles are a very stoic people. I remember one ChattaCon, I was with a diverse group of friends and after some libation we, for some strange reason, started telling ethnic jokes. The rule was that you could only tell a joke that you were part of. I could tell Irish Catholic Polish Female (not blond) jokes. Another friend told jewish german gay jokes and so on. It amazed all of us, I think, as to how many of those stupid jokes we knew. Once it dissolved down to light bulb jokes, we knew that we had a)had enough to drink and b) hit the bottom of the joke telling barrel.
Miss. Kathleen,
Of course St. Patrick
Have to agree with you about how St. PAtrick’s Day can seem to be about reinforcing negative stereotypes. You certainly don’t see KFC advertising big specials during Black History Month.
Great to hear an american who has Irish ancestors not go over the top. I live in Northern Ireland (near slemish, St Patricks country), and it is sometimes bemusing to see the over the top St Patrick day celibrations going on in USA. In most of Ireland, ST Patricks day is usually a quiet day, (traditional day to plant the spuds) and has only gotten big in the past ten years.
Enjoy yours.
PS If its not too nosey, what part of Ireland are your relations??
My relatives are in Limerick and Donegal for the most part. O’Shea (Which I know can be the Irish equivilent of Smith) and Walsh.
The thing that irritates me most about St. Patrick’s Day is the often heard slogan “It’s the one day when everyone’s Irish!” or words to that effect. Let someone say a phrase like that about Martin Luther King Day or some other ethnic holiday and there would probably be a public outcry. I’m proud to be Irish, but not proud about people highjacking the holiday to get drunk. Although, I did like the Kiss Me, I’m Irish part in High School ;o)
The thing that irritates me most about St. Patrick’s Day is the often heard slogan “It’s the one day when everyone’s Irish!” or words to that effect. Let someone say a phrase like that about Martin Luther King Day or some other ethnic holiday and there would probably be a public outcry. I’m proud to be Irish, but not proud about people highjacking the holiday to get drunk. Although, I did like the Kiss Me, I’m Irish part in High School ;o)
“Have to agree with you about how St. PAtrick’s Day can seem to be about reinforcing negative stereotypes. You certainly don’t see KFC advertising big specials during Black History Month.”
And just what connection are you drawing between the two? You know, most stereotype connections are like myths and start with some basis in fact.
That black people like chicken, watermelon and collards is no big deal here in the south. EVERYBODY down here eats that stuff. Trouble is most poor blacks in the south didn’t have much option to eat anything else. The stores where we were allowed to shop didn’t carry much else. Even when the whites allowed us to shop in their stores the prices were so high that we couldn’t afford much else.
I’ve never equated the Irish with rowdy drunkeness any more than I have any OTHER ethnic group. And to be honest, I’m more concerned that many people don’t seem to be concerned that rowdy drunken behaviour is being largely ignored in high school and college students.
EClark1849 wrote:
“And to be honest, I’m more concerned that many people don’t seem to be concerned that rowdy drunken behaviour is being largely ignored in high school and college students. ”
I agree with you on this whole heartedly.
On another subject, I have some Irish blood in me. I won’t be drinking or wearing green because this whole notion of holidays has gotten out of hand.
Salutations,
Mitch
Agree 100% Half my family is still in Ireland. Everyone always says to me,”Why aren’t you wearing green today. I am Irish all the time, I don’t need to wear green one day of the year to feel Irish.
I wouldn’t sweat it too much, Kathleen.
My grandfather was full Irish, making me 1/4 (give or take, the genealogy on my dad’s side is sketchy). I see St. Patrick’s Day as just another day (more or less. My church’s patron is St. Patrick).
There is too much encouragement of drinking for no reason, and I equate St. Patty’s day with St. Valentine’s Day, at least as far as the original celebration of the holiday has been turned into a marketing tool (don’t even get me started on Cinco de Mayo).
St. Patrick’s day is just about the most culturaly offensive and widely accepted days in the American calendar. As someone who was born in Ireland I find it offensive and callus. One day a year where Americans from all walks get together and mock our accents, all claim to be Irish and perpetuate offensive stereo-types regarding alcoholism….allin the name of selling beer. How do people think that we’re not offended? Hey, I have an idea….lets have an African American day where we all drink MD20/20 and talk like Mush Mouth from Fat Albert? How about Jewish day where we all put on big noses and complain and act cheap? How about Polish day…we could all walk around saying how stupid we are? Hmmm? No. Of course we can’t do that. Why? Because it would be CULTURALLY INSENSITIVE!…yet people seem to think that the Irish are un-offendable? This holiday really p!$$e$ me off.
” Hey, I have an idea….lets have an African American day where we all drink MD20/20 and talk like Mush Mouth from Fat Albert?”
Umm, why pick on us? I can almost guarantee you that very few black people even notice St. Patrick’s Day.
Furthermore, I seriously wonder why you would choose Mush Mouth as the character to denigrate blacks with. I mean, I could understand Stepinfetchit, or Rochester (Mr. Benny, Mr. Benny) or Amos and Andy, or even Huggy Bear. Those stereotypes are common. But that you would choose to use a unique character like Mush Mouth, hardly a stereotype, to try and perpetuate a stereotype, makes me wonder about you.
Well….here it is….Another St. Patrick’s day will soon be upon us. By the way, EClark1849, you miss the point entirely. Yet again people will take to the streets and bars claiming “Kiss me! I’m one billionth Irish”. Well, as said before, those of us who actually ARE Irish (100%) think that the entire thing is an offensive mockery.
Heys dere…
I am a black Polish man from Irish background and I drink beer,dance the Rutabaga waltz,and eat collards and fried chicken.Got a problem with dat??
Love,kisses and everything Irish and Polish,…
Uncle Benski
Good answeres
That Uncle Benski….HE Da MAN!! Polish with a Irish background?? Please explain that dearest Uncle !! And a black man to boot!! Give me the details,maybe we can meet for a date!! I can learn how to make collards and KFC is right down the street from my house.
Nicki,
My mothers roots are from Cork Ireland(her parents immigrated from there),Dad is from Poland and he is black.I don’t know what the deal is with my color or for a matter of fact about what different ethnic foods have to do with anything,I was just having some fun after reading the other responses.
A date?? Sure!! I don’t like KFC though,it’s too greasy.If you can make collards,then you can make fried chicken,or beter yet,I’ll show you.But you’ll have to let me show you how to dance the “Rutabaga Waltz”,and you’ll have to drink lots of beer with me.And you are right..I am “da man”!!
Got a problem with dat??
Love,kisses and everything Irish and Polish,…
Uncle Benski
I am scratching my head now,Irish,Polish & black???Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.I now must access my abstract thinking and see if the actual meaning here was I rish,Black & Polish as in Poland or Polish as in black shoe polish??Very interesting indeed.Oh well on to my water aerobics and my day trips..heh heh heh eeeeehhhhhhhhh
Looka here der Ocala Brown….(Is that in Florida?? I did a Google search)
It’s Polish (as in Pole-lish) not polish (as in pahlesh)
If I can,I’ll send Miss Kathleen a picture of myself and you can see who and what ol’ Uncle Benski is all about.Water aerobics and day trips?? Are you sure you’re not “Out of Town Brown”?? And what up with that laugh??
Love,kisses and everything Irish and Polish,…
Uncle Benski
Well guess this whole Irish,Polish,Black thing has kind of lost me.I will drink a beer when I good and well please holiday or no holiday.Im not I rish or Polish but I am black and Im not so caught up as to get offended with the stereotyping we all do it to some degree.Guess I will grab my fishing pole and head for my boat.oh yeah,oh yeah,oh yeah!
Right on “L” !! Not sure about the stereotyping,usually listening to the stereo while I type causes me some problems. Are you Irish or Polish by chance?? And what kind of fish do you catch?? The only fish I catch are “Mrs Paul’s”.
Love,kisses and everything Irish and Polish,…
Uncle Benski
On a serious note…..
I want to state for the record,that I am Irish/Polish,I am VERY proud of that fact.I take St. Patrick’s day as a celebration,although,I’m not in the street dancing the “Rutabaga Waltz”.I like beer(…who doesn’t??) but I’m not falling down drunk either when I do have a few.I think the perception of a person with my background who just happens to be black(or African American,however the hëll ya’want to put it these days)is what has thrown some of these folks for a loop.I don’t see what’s so hard to comprehend on all of this.
I just throw some of this back at you folks,just for fun.
Got a problem with dat??
Love,kisses,and everything Irish and Polish,…
Uncle Benski
Well the Irish have St. Patricks day,in some parts of this country we have Poilish pride day.The Irish drink their beer and we poles drink our beer and eat our sausage and pierogies.Hey dont we all celebrate something?Me personally I will jump on the bandwagon to celebrate any occasion where the festivities include beer and lots of it.Who knows I bet they even have a festival for those that drive around with one headlamp out,awww what a thought.Cant clain Irish but I will go along with the everything Polish part.Street side Rutabaga Waltz?Well the whole thing there is……..why not.
I want to party with that person!!
Not sure about the one headlamp out..Are you blind in one eye perhaps?? Me,I have a crooked eye (it’s ol’ lefty) but it gives me a much better perspective on things and I can see if someone is about to crash into me or my dance partner while dancing the “Rutabaga Waltz”.
Garbobecki,I’ll assume you know the “Beer Barrel Polka”.You and I should throw a block party!!
What’s that line from the Thin Lizzy song???…
“The drinks will chill,the blood will spill and if the boys want to dance,you better let’em.”
Ok so I modified it.
Got a problem with dat??
Love,kisses and everything Irish and Polish,…
Uncle Benski
O.K. Uncle Benski you wouldnt happen to be related to any of the folks in the “Def Benski” band?I think they are some beer barrel bad boys.Anyway as for the “one headlamp out” I was refering to automobiles but oddly enough I do have a droopy eye that goes shut when I get irritated or mad.Maybe its just me but I have noticed this seems to be more common in folks of polish descent.Anytime you feel like celebrating the irish side or have an off season St. Patricks day celebration and it includes beer count me in and even though it isnt irish beer I am always ready to “head for the mountains” tsssshhhhhhhhh!!
Love,kisses and everything irish,polish and beerish!Now I must be off to my class “Beer kegging and how to become a Tapmaster”.
Looka here Garbo…(is that related to Greta??)
First off,Only me,the one and only Uncle Benski, can sign off with Love kisses and everything Irish and Polish.
Got a problem with dat??
As for the Benski band you mentioned…Nope don’t know a thing about them.Probably not my type of music anyway.If it ain’t a nice Irish ballad or Polish waltz,I ain’t a listenin’!!
Sorry about the eye comment,I “see” we are in the same boat although my eye stays that way all the time,just at a odd angle.
Garbobecki,ANYTIME you want to enjoy the fine tastes of beer from all over,just come on over.In my basement I have brands from all over the world.I have figured out the brand you drink…no thanks!! And here you are going to tapmaster school!! Reminds me of a old joke…
“What kind of sound does the Budweiser Clydsdales make when breaking wind???
BUSCHHHHHH
Love,kisses and everything Irish and Polish,…
Uncle Benski
Well O.K. so you dont share my interest in beer but then again you are for quality and me for total alcoholic quantity.Hey after all you judge a good outing not by any of its content but by the number of cases you downed while engaging the endeavor!So I guees the sound of the Budweiser Clydesdales breaking wind just plain gets me up and going.And as for the “Tapmaster” school that is about a technique and not about what brand of beer you are tapping.I just want to get the diploma and be able to put in my title “King of the Tappers” or “Tapmaster Extrodinaire”.Hey who knows I might get independently wealthy tapping for parties and huge events.Right now I am rebuilding automatic transmissions for a living and I have been thinking of opening my own shop and calling it “Tapmaster Transmission Shop”.Anyway hope we can all enjoy the joys of our ethnic backgrounds and indulge in all those things both Irish and Polish!Im off to hit my kegerator with the neighbors.
Looka here der Garbo….
You gots it all wrong!! Hush my mouth What you talkin’ about!!??
I don’t judge a good outing by how many cases consumed.I’ll bet you go to your local liquor store with a mini van with the back seats missing,so that you can stock up in a appropriate manner!!
Tapmaster extrodinare?? Sure!! You and I need to hook up for a block party,you can be the tapmaster for one of my shindigs.
Tapmaster Transmissions?? No wonder you drink Busch!!
Seriously,The best of luck to you in all of your endeavours.I hope to hear that “Garbo the Tapmaster” becomes a reality.
Love,kisses and everything Irish and Polish,…
Uncle Benski
The block party thing sounds great and Im sure all the lush neighbors will show for it.I do plan on getting that transmission shop up and running and I even have a partner to go in with me on opening it (oh yeah,oh yeah,oh yeah!).
I removed my T handle from my shifter on my car and replaced it with a Busch turbo tap handle and hopefully it will put some fizz in my shifting.Actually this blog here has me seriously thinking about taking a trip to Ireland and checking it out to seperate the truth from the stereotyping.Oh you know I did used to have a van with the back seats out and when I went to the package store on payday for my beer they brought the cases out by hand truck and loaded them into it.I was using a truck but because of bad knees I got the van since it was easier to load and unload.To all the Irish & Polish I bid you health,wealth and lots of beer,now let me get my lazy eye back to the keg.
Where do ya live Garbo…next to a Busch plant?? You mentioned lush neighbors.I take it you also must live in the south,your transmission shop deal sounds like you might be running a reputable business in your own backyard.The tap handle shifter also makes that view a bit more sensible.I’ll even bet you saw the “Dukes of Hazzard” movie too didn’t you???
Drink on Garbo,party sensible,but enjoy the fruits of your labours.
Love,kisses and everything Irish and Polish,…
Uncle Benski
Well Benski your right on the money.Although I am not originally from the south but from a more northerly polish enclave in Rhode Island.I am however now entrenched in the south and my current small time shop is in my garage.Soon I will be in a more uptown environ and working in a more professional environment.However I will hide my kegerator in the back room and continue to work as I always have with one eye shut to the world……kegs,tapmasters and lush living….old Garbo
Garbo,
Man I have found a beer that you and I will both like!! It’s a Polish beer called “Colt 45”.No it’s not the same swill that you think it is.This stuff has it going on.I know you drink by the case,but you’ll only need maybe 4 of these bad boys.Put it this way…after 4 of ’em they will tighten up your thong a notch or two!!
Love,kisses,and everything Irish and Polish,…
Uncle Benski
I am with you on this one! I HATE the day! I work at a Jesuit College and nobody comes to class on St. PAtrick’s Day. When did it become a national holiday?
Ah, the misconceptions abound. The reference to “snakes” being chased from Ireland is a euphemism for Pagans. Currently it refers to the English.
The potato famine. Another myth. The English appropriated the majority of crops for export (documented excuse was that the Irish were “simply too stupid to feed themselves”. Later in a tribunal they officially admitted to “slight neglegence in the matter”), stole land and virtually enslaved the people of Ireland.
Corned Beef and cabbage. Ugh! The truth is, that for many Irish people, Corned Beef is too “poor” or plain to eat on a holiday.Certainly, there will be many restaurants in Ireland that will be serving Corned Beef and Cabbage on March 17th , but they’re doing it just to please the TOURISTS. My father had a job…so we didn’t have to eat crap like that.
Well another St. Patricks day has come and gone and I am still tinted a bit green from all the green beer.They really must find another kind of dye that doesnt make your eyeballs green and even your skin a bit.Well back to the tap and I will shut an eye as I mug it up for the irish!!!Eeehhhhhhh!!!
Dang Garbo…How much did you drink??? Dyed green is your skin?? Heh heh heh ehhhhh…. I enjoyed a few of the Colt 45’s I mentioned above,and I’m not sure why Mr.Liam McKay doesn’t care for corned beef and cabbage,I think it’s a nice meal when prepared correctly.
Personally I had a GREAT 17th of March.Danced the “Rutabaga Waltz”,drank beer,ate lots of good food and enjoyed the festivities.What more can ya ask??
Love,kisses,and everything Irish and Polish,…
Uncle Benski
Well the green has gone but oddly enough the whites of my eyes have turned a bit yellow.Doc says my liver is trying to fail me.Liver disease doesnt run in the family so who knows.He said it could be “Tappers Liver”?Oh well back to the trannys and the brewskis!
Garbo, are you serious??!!! Man I sure hope you are and that your liva is OK.If you need anything,you know where I’m at.You may have to lay off of the Friday festivities and leave the tap handles alone.It may be hard for you,but you must.
Tappers liver?? What up wit dat??
Love,kisses,and everything Irish and Polish,…
Uncle Benski
Well many thanks Benski.Tappers liver is apparently a beer connected ailment of some kind.Actually I do kinda fear for my health as I may be doomed either way for without the festivities I would dry up and croak and with them I may bloat up and croak.I guess I will come back as a Budweiser frog…Hmmmmmmmm..Eeeeeehhh.
I feel as if I walked into a room half way through a conversation,liam mckay is correct not many people in Ireland like Cornedbeef and Cabbage its Bacon not Cornedbeef , as for Beer well that goes without saying Guiness is the drink….
Bye 100% living and breathing Irish
I feel as if I walked into a room half way through a conversation,liam mckay is correct not many people in Ireland like Cornedbeef and Cabbage its Bacon not Cornedbeef , as for Beer well that goes without saying Guiness is the drink….
Bye 100% living and breathing Irish
I feel as if I walked into a room half way through a conversation,liam mckay is correct not many people in Ireland like Cornedbeef and Cabbage its Bacon not Cornedbeef , as for Beer well that goes without saying Guinness is the drink..try visiting sometime you might like it, keep safe
Bye 100% living and breathing Irish
Sorry lads its the crossing of the mail over ocean made it jump like that didnt mean it to repeat like that keep safe and happy
bye
I live in 66048 Las Vegas, Nevada. Have you been here before?
I live in Europe, never visited the States,got involved with the comments on this page and felt had to input in some small way .