St. Patrick's Day

ROCHESTER - St. Patrick's Day is here, once again, so that we may celebrate all things Irish. Of course, like the Fourth of July is bbq's and fireworks, all things Irish means has seemingly come to mean wearing green and getting drunk. I am not going to say those aren't wonderful things (they are), but to Irish folks, this holiday can be a mixed bag. Ireland's history is an often tragic one, filled with sacrifice of a proud people yearning to be free. As a result, however, Irish culture celebrates life through song, dance, poetry and even raising a pint of the black stuff.

The Irish diaspora has allowed the world to experience this lively culture, and to celebrate the contributions of the Irish wherever they ended up. Irish people reflect Ireland's history. They are proud. They are tough. They are intimidated by no one. They will always get back up when knocked down. Today, I urge everyone (especially us Irish Americans) to spend some time thinking about famous Irish people from Brian Boru to Daniel O'Connell to Michael Collins that have made our world a better place through struggle and sacrifice, and even the Irish people you know. I think you will find we are a special people sharing many of the qualities we enjoy most in others: loyalty, toughness, passion and always, a sense of humor.

Also, I propose that every Irish person spread the history of our land to a non-Irish each St Patrick's Day. The best topics fall into the buzz kill category, but if each of us can teach someone one nugget of info, the holiday will be worth it. Here are my choices to help enlighten others to our struggle.

1. "The Troubles." This is how the Irish refer to the Northern Ireland problem. Often this is over-simplified into a Protestant versus Catholic conflict. It is really about civil rights. The majority (who is Protestant) created a system to retain power over the minority (the Catholics) so that now that Catholics out number the Protestants, they can not gain political power. The system has been used to maintain an economic superiority, which has turned this struggle into a class war. Although religion is the easy identifying difference, it is not the whole issue.

2. Cromwell's Genocide. As leader of the English Empire, Oliver Cromwell spent a great deal of energy suppressing Irish freedom. He also decided a great way to keep the rebellious Irish in their place was to eliminate them as a race. This is the time when the English tried to portray the Irish as inferior and gave rise to Irish as leprechauns. Land east of the River Shannon was given to English loyals and or nationals. Eastern Irish were resettled in the West. Catholicism was banned and priests were executed.

3. Civil War 1921-1923. After Ireland won a 'free state' after the War of Independence, people were divided over the value of the free state. Michael Collins himself described it as a stepping stone to full independence, but this wasn't good enough for all. Eamon de Valera led a group into war against the free state and it was a bitter and bloody one. More people were killed in the Civil War than the War of Independence, and Ireland is still divided in some quarters over the effects.

Like I said, not joyous events, but to fully understand the Irish psyche, these events must be understood. Today is a celebration though, so after you drop some knowledge on your listener, get them to buy you a drink, raise a pint, and toast the Irish.