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Who is St. Patrick?
This is what I've been taught anyway; but you know how history changes these days....
St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. There is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family although his father was a deacon.
At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland. According to his writing, a voice (which he believed to be God's)spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland. After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation: an angel in a dream told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began a course if religious training which lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish people.
Most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick incorporated traditional Irish rituals into his lessons of Christianity. He used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D.
The Holiday
As St. Patrick's Day falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and the people would dance, drink, and feast. The traditional meal was Irish bacon and cabbage.
The first St. Patrick's Day parade did not place in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.
When Irish Americans in the country 's cities took to the streets on St. Patrick's Day to celebrate their heritage, newspapers portrayed them in cartoons as violent drunks. The Irish soon began to realize that their great numbers endowed them with a political power that had yet to be exploited. They started to organize, and their voting block, known as the "green machine," became an important swing vote for political hopefuls.
Suddenly, annual St. Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Truman attended New York City 's St. Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America.
Up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world.
The Shamrock: The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.
Irish Bacon: The word "bacon" actually comes from the old German word, bah, or "back". Canadian bacon and Irish bacon both come from the back, the loin to be exact. These cuts of bacon are a lot leaner than the regular American smoked bacon that you pick up in the local grocery. First off, they don't taste anything alike. Irish bacon is cured, not smoked. If you try to cook the traditional Irish bacon and cabbage meal using the American smoked bacon, try blanching the bacon first first to remove smoky flavor.
Corned Beef: Each year, thousands of Irish Americans gather with their loved ones on St. Patrick's Day to share a "traditional" meal of corned beef and cabbage. Though cabbage has long been an Irish food, corned beef only began to be associated with St. Patrick's Day at the turn of the century. Irish immigrants living on New York City's Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money. They learned about the cheaper alternative from their Jewish neighbors.
Beers brewed in Ireland
Although beer has nothing to do with St. Patrick's Day, it is still thought of as an "Irish" celebratory must so, I am including a list of beers brewed in Ireland.
The Stouts
Beamish Stout -- Dense, malty, dark and chocolaty. It's a nice full-bodied slow drink.
Guinness Drought -- Aroma and flavor is roasted malt and perhaps a hint of chocolate. Slight edge of bitterness and a somewhat dry finish.
Guinness Extra Stout -- Classic. Up front is a strong coffee-like taste. Slightly bitter at the end. It's nice and smooth-not for gulping.
Caffrey's Irish Ale -- Very smooth and mild-mannered. Somewhat light with a toffee quality; not too bitter, barely sweet.
Murphy's Irish Stout -- Very smooth and balanced. Is that coffee, chocolate or…. mocha? Perfect finish is not too bitter.
O'Hara's Celtic Stout (from Carlow) -- A solid brew that start with mocha and ends on a dry note. No sign of bitterness.
The Lagers
Harp Lager -- Bitter beginning quickly turns to clean and refreshing. This classic lager is smooth and solid.
Kinsale Irish Lager -- Golden colored with a fast-fading bitter start. Solidly carbonated, with floral undertones for some.
Cream Ales and More
Kilkenny Irish (Cream Ale) by Guinness -- This amber brew has the rich aroma and flavor of toasted malt. It's all at once sweet and creamy, offset by some bitterness.
Murphy's Irish Red -- It's dry, crisp, hoppy and very carbonated. Some signs of fruit and caramel.
Murphy's Irish Amber -- Like Murphy's Red and slightly sweet. Not too filling. Finishes clean
Irish Toasts
Health and a long life to you.
Land without rent to you.
A child every year to you.
And if you can't go to heaven,
May you at least die in Ireland.
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May the leprechauns be near you,
To spread luck along your way.
And may all the Irish angels,
Smile upon you St. Patrick's Day.
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May you...
Work like you don't need the money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
Dance like no-one is watching,
Screw like it's being filmed,
And drink like a true Irishman.
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May your blessings outnumber
the shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
wherever you go.
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God then made man.
The Italian for their beauty.
The French for fine food.
The Swedes for intelligence.
The Jew for religion.
And on and on until he looked at what
he had created and said,
"This is all very fine but no one is having fun.
I guess I'll have to make me an Irishman."
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May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.
Source: Traditional Irish Toast
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Some Guinness was spilt on the barroom floor
When the pub was shut for the night.
When out of his hole crept a wee brown mouse
And stood in the pale moonlight.
He lapped up the frothy foam from the floor
Then back on his haunches he sat.
And all night long, you could hear the mouse roar,
"Bring on the goddamn cat!"
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An Irishman is never drunk as long as
He can hold onto one blade of grass and not
Fall off the face of the earth.
Source: Old Irish toast
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