We’ve all heard it referred to as “Amateur Night.” And while I’m usually the type that despises tradition, there’s something about hearing this
Anyone else remember that Disney Channel original movie - The Luck of the Irish? It doesn't get much better than basketball-playing leprechauns.
epithet attached to St. Patrick’s Day that just boils my blood green.
Yes, maybe it’s an excuse for the average American goody-two-shoes to get drunk on a weeknight and come out feeling like a rebel with a hangover. But for this (partly) Irish-American, it’s about reveling in a culture and history that may make up only a tenth of my blood, but holds sway over at least half of my heart.
The next time you run into one of those shamrock-bespattered lads and lasses, try to remember the reasons Ireland’s worth celebrating: because it’s contributed a hell of a lot more than leprechauns and Guinness.
Some of my favorite reasons to wear Green with pride:
1. Irish Gaelic: It may be dying out, but it’s still one of the loveliest, lilting languages to grace the Earth. Just ask J. R. R. Tolkien, who partially based his Elvish language of Quenya on the Gaeilge verb system.
2. Oscar Wilde: Next time you’re about to use a quote while writing a speech/updating your Facebook status/conversing with friends/everything else under the sun, remember that the world’s premiere social butterfly was born in Dublin.
3. Celtic Mythology: Everyone from King Arthur to modern fantasy nerds owes some credit to the Irish gods that inspired them. Where would Morgan le Fay be without Morrigan, or a video game without the occasional appearance of Cu Chulainn?
4. Music: Two out of four Beatles were of Irish descent. Van Morrison gave every brown-eyed girl her go-to song. And The Pogues…well, they gave us Shane MacGowan.
So try to lighten up and wish those vernal drunks a Happy St. Patty’s Day. I’ll probably be in the midst of them, wearing my cheesy “Kiss me, I’m Irish” pin.
When’s the last time you raised a glass to the orange, white, and green?
Prometheus Baked 