I know we have lately had some issues with "the Irish", but it's St. Patrick's Day, y'all! Can't we make nice?
Just to get things started, did you know that St. Patrick wasn't even Irish? Yeah, he was actually British, then part of the Roman Empire. March 17 is actually the date St. Patrick died in 461 A.D. Oh, heck, here is everything you'd ever want to know from the History Channel...Bet You Didn't Know - St. Patrick's Day
So, to celebrate the death day of the Patron Saint of Ireland who wasn't even Irish, put on something green, go out to a local Irish pub, and raise a glass or three to the fact that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland...well, except that there have never been any snakes in Ireland. Something to do with global warming, I think. And that he would use the shamrock to teach about the Trinity except that the shamrock doesn't really exist...[Oh, just watch the videos]
If all of this is just a bit too confusing, please feel free to change the subject.
Just to get things started, did you know that St. Patrick wasn't even Irish? Yeah, he was actually British, then part of the Roman Empire. March 17 is actually the date St. Patrick died in 461 A.D. Oh, heck, here is everything you'd ever want to know from the History Channel...Bet You Didn't Know - St. Patrick's Day
So, to celebrate the death day of the Patron Saint of Ireland who wasn't even Irish, put on something green, go out to a local Irish pub, and raise a glass or three to the fact that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland...well, except that there have never been any snakes in Ireland. Something to do with global warming, I think. And that he would use the shamrock to teach about the Trinity except that the shamrock doesn't really exist...[Oh, just watch the videos]
If all of this is just a bit too confusing, please feel free to change the subject.
Okay. Here's some love for the Irish. Ireland- specifically, Dublin- is the birth place of 'Dracula' author Bram Stoker. It goes without saying that he was proud to be Irish. But he differed from Annie Lennox in a few ways.
ReplyDeleteFirst, he traveled to the United States a few times with Sir Henry Irving's Lyceum Theater Group (he was the general manager for the London organization), and he loved the U.S.! He even got to meet Presidents William McKinely and Theodore Roosevelt. In fact, you can see his admiration for the states in the character of Quincey Morris, a no-nonsense cowboy who, in the novel, Dr. Seward describes as "a moral viking. If America can go on breeding men like that, she will be a power in the world indeed." [Spoiler alert for those whop haven't read the book] Morris is also the one who actually kills the Count; he ends up sacrificing himself while stabbing the Count's heart with his Bowie knife. (In the epilogue, Jonathan and Mina later name their son in his memory.)
Did I also mention that, even though he was Irish, Stoker was an ardent British monarchist? (Gasp!) And although he supported Home Rule for Ireland, he thought the island would be better off remaining part of the British Empire. (By Cromwell's beard!)
(P.S. Andrew, I left another comment in yesterday's thread.)
They started it... ;-)
ReplyDeletebeen to Ireland 4 times ...... mainly to play golf. Some of the greatest courses in the world. Most Irish are the nicest folks you could meet. If you go North into Ulster, sometimes you will get a drunk who wants to talk about the troubles. Avoid these people or at least ignore them. Temple Bar district in Dublin a wonderful place to pub crawl.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the color associated with him is not green but blue....the Irish did save western Civilization with the monastic system. "The Feckin' Book of Irish History" is a great read and points out that some Irish are very cognizant that many of the their troubles they brought on themselves. tonight I will watch The Quiet Man, Dancing at Lughnasa and The boys from County Claire...all great movies..in fact however, most of my ancestry is English and Welsh, even my last name is Welsh. Many years ago I went to an Irish bar in Chicago and I almost wasn't admitted because my name is Welsh, not Irish. They were openly taking donations for the IRA and had pictures (a shrine actually) of Bobby Sands and the other guys that starved themselves to death in the Maize Prison. My Irish ancestry is from Northern Ireland and a mix of Catholic and Protestant. Happy St Patrick's Day.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Netanyahu is in a fight (voting is happening today). He has explicitly denounced the two state solution (though no one sane figured he was in favor of it) and has claimed the opposition is busing Arabs to polls.
ReplyDeleteWhile the opposition is supposed to be a bit more popular, it is predicted that no one will win outright, so the government will be whoever negotiates/builds a coalition not just the most popular party.
Anthony - That's what I've been reading too. Also, Iranian dissidents and political prisoners sent an open letters to Obama mirroring the "Treasonous 47" open letter last week.
ReplyDeleteOh, and did you hear about the hijacking attempt at Dulles Airport last night? Some moron tried to storm the cockpit screaming "Jihad! Jihad!" over and over. He was tackled by passengers and subdued...
I blame St. Patrick...
Bev, I would blame whoever the patron saint of dipshits is.
ReplyDeleteWow. I just heard that only 2% of murders are solved in Mexico. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, that's probably because it's the police and other government officials who are tasked with "solving" crimes are the ones actually committing them. The Mayor of Iguala was charged in the kidnapping and presumed murder of 43 college boys last year among others. Their bodies have not been found.
ReplyDeleteNetanyahu has declared himself the winner....we'll see. It is too close to call.
ReplyDeleteHappy St. Patrick's Day, courtesy of this music video tribute to the Queen of Technicolor herself, the Irish-born Maureen O'Hara.
ReplyDeleteLINK
The busloads of Arabs weren't enough to keep Netanyahu from victory. He and Obama will be able to enjoy each other's company a while longer :).
ReplyDeleteAnthony, We should get Obama and Netanyahu a buddy pass for a cross-country bus trip! :D
ReplyDelete