If you're Irish and you know it...

                St. Patrick’s Day is upon us! A day to lie about how Irish you are, wear green, and add whiskey to everything.  Many will eat corned beef, cabbage, and of course…potatoes. Some of us will dust off our copy of the old movie “The Quiet Man”, and others will watch clips of Riverdance on youtube.

                As most already know, I have Irish blood flowing through my veins and I am insanely proud of it. I can’t tell you what percentage. I don’t know when my ancestors came over from Ireland. I only know my mother’s maiden name screams Irish, and her fair skin and red hair meets the stereotype. I have never step foot in Ireland, and I know many of my perceptions of Ireland are probably ignorant and stereotypical.  I have tried to educate myself on at least some of the basics. For example:

-Corned beef and cabbage is truly an American invention. The Irish immigrants who came to the U.S.  ate it because it was cheap.

-There are 3 leaves on a shamrock…NOT FOUR.   

Honestly, the $1 green beads you picked up at the grocery store, and the leprechaun hat you bought at walmart is fun, but like most holidays, missing the significance. I am not catholic, and I don’t know anything about Saints days. I do know, however, that I adore looking deeper into a culture and a people that have survived so much hardship. The Irish are a poor people. For a long time they were a suppressed and abused people whose culture was almost stamped out. When they immigrated to the U.S., they fought more prejudice. (Does “No Irish Need Apply” sound familiar?) Forgive me from stealing this quote from Wikipedia but I think it explains it best.

“…the American stigma on domestic work suggested that Irish women were failures who had “about the same intelligence as that of an old grey-headed negro.” This quote illustrates how, in a period of extreme racism towards African Americans, society similarly viewed Irish immigrants as inferior beings”.

The Irish were looked at as dirt.

I love the Irish culture because it tells a story of people that survived. Because of their extreme history, there is no moderation in Irish emotions. The Irish are known for their deep melancholy. (Have you ever heard an Irish lament? By the end you feel like your very soul is weeping). It is a culture that knows what it is to starve to death and be persecuted.

In contrast, when the Irish are happy, it is more like euphoria. (Have you ever heard an Irish jig? If you don’t smile, stomp your foot, and feel like life is good by the end of it you probably don’t have a pulse).  I think the ability to experience joy is proportionate to how much sorrow one has dealt with. The Irish people have certainly suffered, but their ability to celebrate life is infectious. This is not a new idea as evidenced by the following:

 “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, sure 'tis like a morn in spring.

In the lilt of Irish laughter you can hear the angels sing,

When Irish hearts are happy all the world seems bright and gay,

And When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, sure, they steal your heart away.”

            My overall point is that among the cheap four leaf clovers and the green beer, is a story. A story of strength and the tenacity of the human spirit. It is about people that have experienced hell, and love life all the more because of it. This is a lesson we all should take to heart...

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh! (St. Patrick’s Day Blessing On You!)