A Bit About Saint Patrick And His Feast Day aka Lá Fhéile Phádraig

Lá Fhéile Phádraig – part one of three

Today is St. Patrick’s Day of March 17th of 2020 – COVID 19 has sent the world into self-quarantine, for all the best reasons. It seems fair to assume that the beloved Patron Saint of Ireland himself would be all for preserving the care and keeping of humanity. St. Patrick you see, was quite the man on a mission when it came to taking care of others, his rendition of course involved converting the Irish to Christianity. One might even say he was a zealot with a small z -- albeit probably under one’s breath because his memory is revered throughout much of Eire. (unless you are a Protestant.) (Additional disclaimer - not intending any disrespect in any direction, just a statement of fact.)  Additional real-world experiences confirm that it is nearly impossible to go anywhere in Ireland and not find a statue or a church or a plaque or a story in St. Patrick’s honor. There’s even a mountain bearing his name where once a year, people climb to the top in bare feet to show their devotion. Some even crawl, THAT is how important of a figure he is. Talk about a branding and media campaign, this guy was able to leave an indelible mark on every part of the island during the 5th century, certainly a time when getting around said island could not have been the easiest of tasks.

I mention this because I’m fairly certain St. Patrick’s reputation was lost in translation when it reached the shores of America. Quite honestly, I didn’t know anything about him save that his namesake holiday was more of an excuse for drinking beer, marching in a parade, acting quite crazy and requiring more than a day to recover from joyful debauchery (yet another clue the Irish DNA was watered down once it reached our shores;) From a young age, one wore green to school in self-defense because being pinched was quite a popular and painful pastime. (Fun fact: No one I talked to in Eire had ever heard of that lovely tradition). I guess I thought St. Patrick was less of a person and more of a leprechaun. Maybe it’s because I’m not Catholic? Though I feel certain I’m not the only American who missed the memo of St. Paddy’s reputation as a revered spiritual leader. For example – the fact that we say St. Patty’s Day instead of St. Paddy’s Day is the first clue we are missing some key details.

Without further ado, here’s a few pointers I picked up during my extended stay on the Emerald Isle about the man and the (in)famous celebration in his name.

The Basics:

The revelry of celebrations around St. Patrick’s Day really began in the states. Multiple sources claim that Boston held the first parade in 1737. Not to be outdone, New York expanded the tradition in 1766.  Ireland didn’t get into the groove till 1903 with a parade in Waterford. Dublin joined the fun in 1931.  It took them till the late 70’s to get their laws altered to allow pubs to be open on this festive occasion. Fast forward to today and Ireland has left the US in the dust – most every burg has its own parade; many festivities spanning multiple age groups are scheduled for an entire week. Do note that there’s still not a whole lot of green beer to be found in a country that prefers Guinness…  and that would be a primary researched notation.

The Differences:

While Ireland has jumped on the capitalization train, it still is rooted in its spiritual origins of recognizing the blessings of St. Patrick on his death date. The day itself is considered a Holy Day of Obligation. The Blessing of the Shamrocks is an important ceremony. The shamrocks are real, folks. People wear a small bunch as a corsage all day with pride. Then they take a few to put in the bottom of their beer and/or whisky glass at the end of the day, to “drown the shamrock.” Which, like most things Irish, has a few more rituals attached and is also associated with good luck. That small bouquet was enough color to earn the moniker the “wearing of the green” even though that term eventually became more synonymous with the Irish street ballad lamenting the repression of supporters of the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Whether a wee bit of a sprig, or a few colored threads of a scarf, the times they have drastically changed. One would be hard pressed to know which country now sells the most of the brightest green Irish themed t-shirts and accessories…also an observation credibly based on primary research and possible purchases in both countries.

Spoiler Alerts:

“The Little Clover”

While the shamrock, Seamóg or Seamair Óg is a beloved national symbol, it isn’t the official symbol of Ireland. That honor goes to the Celtic Harp. And there isn’t any evidence in historical records for 5th century St. Patrick using the plant as an analogy for Holy Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in his teachings to the pagan Irish until reinterpretation by a protestant minister in 18th century. (If this sounds sacrilegious feel free to double check with authors at www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com.)  There is, however, according to multiple sources, an association of the shamrock with the Celtic goddess Ana/ Anu; the three leaves representing the maiden, mother and crone. Additionally, Celtic druids believed the number 3 to be a perfect number with inherent mystical powers. All said and done, there’s a fair amount of evidence to warrant the suggestion of some cultural appropriation perhaps? Whatever it’s past, the shamrock has certainly become the quintessential symbol of Irish culture. And of course, the four-leaf version is uncommonly rare, making it the icon for much good fortune.

The Origins of the Man

St. Patrick it turns out, wasn’t Irish at all, he was either Welsh or Scottish (bit of mixed opinion over that).  Another big shocker is that he is a patron saint, not an actual one. As a young man, he was brought here as a slave. Then escaped. Lured back to the Eire shores by his epiphany to convert the Irish people to Catholicism. Might as well make a name for himself as a saint I suppose. It’s certainly an upgrade from his first arrival.  By my tone one might gather that I was not necessarily as impressed by him as those that have grown up on the stories of his salvation of others. More about that in part two of this trilogy to the man and the celebration in his name. That said, I did find myself feeling a bit sorry for him when I learned that his preferred color was blue and it was once the color of choice when they decided to honor him starting in the 17th century. I can’t help but think that adds insult to injury as his notoriety continues dissolving into a day devoted to intoxication — by people clad in the strangest costumes of green — and especially those gaudily decked out Americans who can’t even get his name right. Then again, there is this thing called karma -- and poetic justice. Were he around to see how it’s all turned out? I am guessing he would also indulge in a couple of beers, joining in with the drowning of the shamrock, comforting himself in the notion that at least he’s still remembered after 16 centuries eh? That’s more than the rest of us could ever imagine.

Sláinte to you St. Paddy, Sláinte to you.

Jamison and Ginger, my fav….slurp!

photo by dj