Drinking and Fighting! Is that what one thinks of St. Patrick's Day?

[joeybee12]

Cheers to whoever knows where this line is from.

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Well, I know it's not from the Quiet Man.

But now that we're on the subject, exactly why do the Irish commemorate an Englishman on March 17th? That always confused me.

[joeybee12]

6. Tehy shoudl celebrate St. Vlastimil Day instead!

They probably know as much about him as they do about St Pat!

[Xithras]

9. Everyone should celebrate St. Patrick.

St. Patrick did a couple of things that burned his name into the history books forever. First, he was the first missionary to take Christianity beyond the borders of Roman Europe. A former slave, he pacified and Christianized the same Irish barbarians who had enslaved him (and who were still practicing human sacrifice when he came back) without employing any kind of violence or coercion...he simply preached. If you want to know why this was so important, read "How the Irish Saved Civilization" and understand that NONE of that would have happened if Patrick had remained in Britain.

St. Patrick was also the first person in recorded history, and probably THE first religious leader in Christian Europe, to criticize and call for the end of slavery as an acceptable institution. 1600+ years ago slavery was practiced by just about everyone, just about everywhere. It was an accepted part of the general culture, and even the pope owned slaves. St. Patrick defied both tradition and religious acceptance of slavery and called for its end repeatedly and loudly. 1600 years later we still haven't realized his dream of having a slaveless world, but he still deserves credit for being the first to open the subject up for discussion. Prior to St. Patrick the only people who complained about slavery were the slaves.

It's unfortunate that most people today only remember him for beer, shamrocks, and a myth about snakes (the snakes referred to in the legend are probably the human sacrificing and occasionally cannibalistic beliefs that he overturned..."snakes" used to be a metaphor for evil in many stories). He really was a great man.

[joeybee12]

12. You meant he snakes weren't real!!!!!!!!!!!!

Interesting stuff, otherwise, though.

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. Thank you. Good synopsis.

*

[SmileyBoy]

2. That was Kent Brockman.

Remember the St. Patty's Day episode where Bart got drunk???

"What are YOU looking at???"

"What are you looking at... The words of a drunken child..."

[joeybee12]

4. We have a winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great episode--Springfield bans liquor!

[osaMABUSh]

3. Describes many o' my St Paddy's Days

Back 20 years ago or so me and the boys would get thoroughly trashed and end up in our annual St Pat's day brawl at some bar. We were always defending somebody's honor, we were always right or we just thought the other guy was an asshole. Unfortunatly we almost always lost but we had a blast anyway.

[joeybee12]

5. And you lived long enough to post on DU--amazing!

Never was much of a St. Paddy's Day person myself.

[osaMABUSh]

7. Yep, I'm not dead yet... St. Pats is a rite of Spring where

I'm from (NW Pa.) but it rarely feels like Spring in these parts.

[joeybee12]

11. I'm in Denver--it actually does feel like Spring here...

...although we're sure to get a couple more snowstorms before the month is over.

[SarahB]

8. It's my life

I have three little boys (8, 5, and 2) who are 1/2 Irish (not my side :7 ) and they spend most of their time together tackling and beating each other. I see bar brawls and bail money in their futures. Smart kids, but their "Irishness" does show through. :)

[joeybee12]

10. Lucky you--just wait until they get older!

Let's see--if the oldest is 8--how soon should you be starting a bail moeny trust fund???

[SarahB]

13. He's the easiest one

He's my chess tournament dude. It's the 5 year old girl crazy ninja boy that keeps me up at night. :scared: Hopefully no bail money for at least another 10 years.

[peacebuzzard]

15. I had a helluva fight with my exhubby after a bucket of green beer

at the Memphis pub crawl in the late 70s. It was banned many years ago.....(the pub crawl) and we divorced shortly after that....(thank goodness)