Today is St Patrick’s Day, the patron saint of Ireland and it is the day when Irish people all round the world celebrate. In Ireland itself ‘Paddy’s Day’ usually falls in Lent which is a period of abstinence in the lead up to Easter. The Irish being a very pragmatic race however, allow it to be a holiday from Lent and so for 24 hours they can indulge in the things they have given up for Lent. This conjures up pictures of glasses raised to the lips on the evening before, waiting for the starting gun at midnight.
This year there could be an extra celebration, for while Ireland has already won the 2018 Rugby Six Nations Tournament they could go the extra distance today by beating their old rival England and achieving a grand slam. I shall be watching the match in an Irish lounge in Dubai with friends, and as I am not Irish or English I shall remain neutral and just hope to see a good match, Aye right!
Who was St Patrick? The most widely accepted history suggests he was born in a small coastal village in Cumbria, England. His father was a minor Roman administrator. When he was a youth Patrick was captured by Irish pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. During this time he converted to Christianity and believed that this helped him to escape back to his family in England. He then went to Auxere in the middle of France to study Christianity under the formidable Germanus.
After being ordained as a priest he was sent back to Ireland as a missionary and was largely responsible for the widespread conversion of Ireland to Christianity.
There are many stories of his exploits and accomplishments during his mission but the Irish are far better story tellers than I and so if you’re interested find an Irish person and ask them. The Irish are also well known for their ability to celebrate and this is their biggest day of the year. There will be parades and festivals all over the world, in particular in the United States where parades in New York and Boston will be massive. No doubt the Google icon will be green today and Irish descendant cops will be eating green doughnuts. The black stuff will be consumed in huge quantities although not by me. I have tried but I can’t stand the stuff. I will celebrate with something from the town of Kilkenny instead.
Other countries also celebrate their Patron Saints. Scotland have St Andrew, England St George and Wales St David. But unlike the Irish none of these are declared national holidays, and so the extent of the celebration might be a muted function on the nearest Saturday, with a single raised glass on the day itself. I have been known to go a bit overboard on St Andrew’s night and cook a haggis.
Anyway have fun today my Irish mates, and as I said I will be in Fibbers in Dubai with three Englishmen, two Americans and a Scot and we will try to work out what the joke is. Sláinte Mhaith