How America has changed St. Patricks Day

This holy day commemorates the anniversary of his death on March 17th 461 AD.

St. Patrick’s Day is the religious feast day of the patron saint of Ireland. No surprise then that in this very Catholic country it was merely a religious holy day. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws dictated that all pubs were to remain locked tight on March 17th. It was a day to go to mass, not Bennigans. Notice the word “was”. They can thank the Yanks for that. Because it was in America that St. Patrick’s Day became what it is today.

The 245th St. Patty's Day Parade will be held today on Fifth Avenue. It begins at 11:00 am, and goes along from 44th - 86th Sts and then to over Third Ave, where there happen to be a few bars.
There will be a live telecast of the 11:00am on Channel 4.

Aside from the parade, New York City also may have added one other important ingredient to the holiday. If you asked for corned beef and cabbage in Ireland most folks will scratch their noggins. The Irish ate and still eat something called Bacon and Cabbage.

Another American addition to the Irish story is the happy go lucky leprechaun.
The Irish "lobaircin” were tiny little ****** off men whose job it was to mend the smelly shoes of all the other fairies. Walt Disney’s 1959 film Darby O'Gill & the Little People, pictured them as a happy little loveable green smurfs. And this view of them has become dominant ever since.

Re: How America has changed St. Patricks Day

Very interesting...

Re: How America has changed St. Patricks Day

There was a very good show on the History Channel the other evening that talked all about this and how the parades in the US sparked parades back in Ireland.