Well, Happy Saint Patrick's day

[HEyHEY]

Keep it true.

[Tweed]

1. Damn, you beat me to it

[Longgrain]

2. Man, I wanted to do this...

I'll be back in about 14 hours to celebrate...

[Maeve]

3. Lá Fhéile Pádraig shona daoibh!

Happy feast of Patrick y'all! The celebration of the saint's day as a grand Irish party is an American tradition--the first true parade was probably 1766 in New York, becoming a fixture in the 1800's. Part of the reason for the parade was as a show of strength against bigotry.

Oh, I woke me up this morning
And I heard a joyful song
From the throats of happy Irishmen,
A hundred thousand strong,
Sure it was the Hibernian Brigade
Lining up for to start the big parade,
So I fetched me Sunday bonnet,
And the flag I love so well,
And I bought meself a shamrock
Just to wear in me lapel,
Don't you know that today's March Seventeen?
It's the day for wearin' o' the Green!

It's a great day for the Irish,
It's a great day for fair!
The sidewalks of New York are thick with Blarney,
For sure you'd think New York was Old Killarney!
It's a great day for the Shamrock,
For the flags in full array,
We're feeling so inspirish,
Sure because for all the Irish,
It's a great, great day!

It's a great day for the Irish,
It's a great day for fair!
Begosh, there's not a Cop to stop a raiding,
Begorry all the Cops are out parading!
It's a great day for the Shamrock,
For the flags in full array,
We're feeling so inspirish,
Sure because for all the Irish,
It's a great, great day!

[CountAllVotes]

5. but ...

In Ireland St. Patrick's Day is a religious holiday - not a day where one goes out and gets drunk. Alas, even if you wanted to, the pubs are closed.

So I'd suggest that St. Patrick's Day is another "Americanized" joke really.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!

:kick:

[Maeve]

7. We've had a bad influence on them, I'm afraid

There are editorials in the Irish papers asking people to tone it down--the partying is almost as bad there as it is here (blame the tourists!)

[CountAllVotes]

8. yeah I know

this is how it USED to be. Now I have no idea!

:party: anyway I guess :eyes:

Luckily, I don't drink *much* anymore!

:toast:

:kick:

[dflprincess]

13. Remember, St. Patrick's Day parades

in the U.S. really caught on as a way to show the potential political clout of the Irish in the States at a time when they weren't being treated so well.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

9. I don't know where you got your information from, but the pubs

are open in the Six Counties on Paddy's Day and I also believe they're open in the South as well.

Congratulations to the James Stephens Hurling Club from Kilkenny and the Ballina Stephenites from Mayo who respectively won the All Ireland Club Hurling and Football Finals today in Croke Park.

[CountAllVotes]

12. they used to be CLOSED

but that is when the earth was still green and the natives of Ireland still remember (well some of the older ones anyway). But yeah, it USED TO BE a religious day ... not anymore though.

P.S. on edit the corned beef and cabbage thing is also an "American" thing. No one in Ireland even knows wtf corned beef in cabbage is, muchless the St. Patrick's Day affiliation to it.

Sad really.

[Catchawave]

4. One of my favorite Irish sayings:

May those who love us, love us.

And for those who don't love us,

May God turn their hearts.

And if he can not turn their hearts,

May he turn their ankles,

So we may know them by their limping.

May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.

*Cheers* all !

[Maeve]

6. May the roof above us never fall in

And may those gathered below it never fall out!

[JohnKleeb]

10. Thank ya and back at ya

[two gun sid]

11. Happy St. Pat's, HEyHEY

I broke down and bought some Guinness on the way home from work.