Today will, no doubt, be a day of reveling for many, as people of Irish descent across the globe celebrate the life and memory of one of Ireland’s most revered patron saints.
While festivities have been in full swing in Dublin since Thursday, New York’s infamous St. Patrick’s Day parade, which kicks off today at 11 AM, plans to draw its own usual crowd of millions. And for those of you still around campus, old enough to drink, and wishing to imbibe and feast the Irish way, the NY Times features tips on Irish pubs and haunts across the boroughs. Then again, there’s always Eileen’s for more localized Irish flavor.
In its own celebration of St. Paddy’s Day, today’s issue of Slate features a reprint of an article from 2000 about the history of the saint himself. While Wikipedia’s article on the same subject is fairly extensive, David Plotz’s piece takes a more humorous approach:
Outside Ireland, too, Patrick has been freely reinterpreted. Evangelical Protestants claim him as one of their own. After all, he read his Bible, and his faith came to him in visions. Biblical inspiration and personal revelation are Protestant hallmarks. Utah newspapers emphasize that Patrick was a missionary sent overseas to convert the ungodly, an image that resonates in Mormon country. New Age Christians revere Patrick as a virtual patron saint. Patrick co-opted Druid symbols in order to undermine the rival religion, fusing nature and magic with Christian practice. The Irish placed a sun at the center of their cross. “St. Patrick’s Breastplate,” Patrick’s famous prayer (which he certainly did not write) invokes the power of the sun, moon, rocks, and wind, as well as God. (This is what is called “Erin go hoo-ha.”)
Update: For the rest of the month, The New York City Tenement Museum will hold talks and special events devoted to Irish history. At 6:30 PM tonight, New York-based writer Robert Sullivan will be speaking with Irish writers Colum McCann and Colm Toibin about their work. This event is free and open to the public.