It's a glorious day for a celebration, as the The Nationalist reminds us
Forget austerity, Forget the property tax. Forget the weather.
It's that time of the year again for the Irish to celebrate.
We may not feel like it very much but it's important that we do.
St Patrick's Day is a very special occasion in the Irish calendar. It's the day we celebrate our Irishness, our distinct culture.
The Irish Times takes a look at
What Expats are Doing for St. Pat's and gets a variety of answers from around the world:
CATHERINA CASEY
Chairwoman of the St Patrick’s Day Parade Advisory Forum, London
St Patrick’s Day is a wonderful opportunity for Ireland to make a positive statement about itself in key locations around the world. There is a strong Irish presence in London, and we want to keep the festival evolving so it appeals to a broad range of people.
RORY O’BRIEN
Research scientist, living in Dunedin, New Zealand
I’m a Dub and my partner Clare is from Portlaoise, Co Laois. I’ll be sure to have some Guinness chilled to raise a glass to the aul’ sod, and I’ll probably have my tatty old rugby jersey on, too. We always mark the day in some manner but stop short of going out, because of what we would be confronted with.
St Patrick’s Day used to be a celebration of Irishness, but not any more. The day has been hijacked and cheapened by the plastic paddywhackery aspect. It creates an international perception of what it means to be Irish that is far from the truth.
Drink yourself green if you will, but please, not in my honour; I’d like to think there is more to us than that.
ALFRED SMITH
Grand marshal of the New York City’s St Patrick’s Day Parade
My great grandfather, who was four-time governor of New York, was grand marshal in 1925, and I am honoured to have been selected to follow in his footsteps and lead the biggest parade in the world this year.
I have always embraced my Irish roots, and have been involved in the Irish community in New York City for many years, but this is the icing on the cake.
The parade is now in its 252nd year – it is a great New York tradition that I feel truly lucky to be part of.
But not everything in Ireland is parades and celebrations, and the past is very much with the present as we are reminded in many ways. The Limerick Post reminds us that, when it comes to the women who had been consigned to the Magdalen Laundries, "It's all about dignity"
AS YOUNG women, the Magdalens were stripped of their freedom, their dignity and even their names. They lost parents, children, siblings.
Many of them were barely past childhood and some were still children but they were forced to endure a punishing regime of hard physical labour, verbal and physical punishments that could only be described as abuse and many had no idea when, or if, this living hell would open and release them. . . .
Certainly, the Magdalene women need an apology. But before even more of them end their days without some comforts, they need to be promptly and properly compensated
The
Tipperary Star reports on a film archive with first person histories from thirty two Irish grandmothers, one from each county:
(T)his unique people’s history shuns the politicians, generals and businessmen in favour of a mother’s perspective: the farmer’s wife, the nursemaid or the seamstress.
The 32 women each represent one of the counties of Ireland and tell both an intimate story of family life, and individual views on wide-sweeping political activity.
Visitors can see how The Troubles have affected people in different ways across the island, or hear stories of how far-reaching the church’s influence has been in every aspect of Irish life.
The film itself has quite a bit to say about the
the status of women. But perhaps on both sides of the pond,the status of women is on the uptick, as recent events in, of all places, Savannah Georgia demonstrate. According to the
Irish Times
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore dropped a visit to Savannah in the state of Georgia on his St Patrick’s Day trip to the United States because he would have had to attend a men-only dinner.
A visit to Savannah would have required Mr Gilmore’s attending the anniversary dinner of the Hibernian Society of Savannah tonight. This is an exclusively male event and one of the city’s main St Patrick’s Day events.
Mr Gilmore said he would decline to attend any men-only event as part of any foreign travel programme. . .“Count me out – I’m not doing it,” the Tánaiste said. “I don’t believe in segregation either on a gender basis or on any other basis.”
And that, my Shamrock American Sisters, Brothers and Honored Guests, is something to celebrate! And who better to celebrate with than the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem?