St. Patrick's Day Sucks?
It’s no secret that I’m very anti-colonialism. That extends to St. Patrick’s Day and the way we look at it.
For starters? No, Patrick didn't remove snakes from Ireland. It's a religious metaphor for driving out pagans. What's interesting to me is that the metaphor was understood as such initially, but got lost in translation somewhere down the line.
I wonder how many other things we’ve run into like this without knowing.
Christianity was already around, but not widely adopted. St. Patrick weaved in local stories and beliefs as he proselytized, which helped get his numbers up.
There were some things he wouldn’t do, though… like suck a man’s breast.
It’s the homophobia for me.
Well, and the Colonialism.
The Colonialism that Britain brought to Ireland was pretty shitty.
There's even evidence to show that the famine (which led y'all to think of potatoes when you think of Ireland) was an act of genocide from the British.
On top of killing a million folks over a decade, the famine led to a mass exodus to the US, creating a large Irish contingent here and bringing along with it the celebration of St Patrick's Day.
From 1845-55, over a million Irish folks came here.
The community turned St. Patrick’s Day into a celebration of Irish heritage.
"Celebrations of this day may have become more secular over the years, but at its origin, it’s a celebration of patriarchal religious colonialism and the destruction of indigenous traditions. Which is not cool."
-Sprialdancer
And, as many folks do, they often turned to conservative measures and politics. Many likely did this as a way of fitting in, not wanting to rock the boat. This isn’t uncommon for immigrants, especially those fleeing difficult situations. Eugene Lee Yang and others spoke on this phenomenon within Asian communities recently. Others did it because of ignorance, malice, spite, or who knows what.
The reality is that many Irish Americans have leaned hard right, surrounding folks who continue to prop up colonialism when our heritage begs us to do differently.
Being someone with Irish roots - and roots from all over the UK - I just don’t know how we can celebrate stereotypes like leprechauns, green beer, and alcoholism.
As Shannon O’Sullivan writes, "I urge Americans of Irish descent to deepen their understanding of the colonial and oppressive conditions that produced the Irish diaspora."
Further Reading + Listening
Episode 36: GRAZACHAM! (The Life of St. Patrick) by Apocrypals
Who was St. Patrick? by History.com editors
St. Patrick’s Day Legends and Myths Debunked by Jennie Cohen
Saint Patrick and the Snakes by Chris Weigant
St. Patrick: Not Irish, Dueled With Druids, Refused to ‘Suck a Man’s Breast’ by Lisa Bitel
How a Pagan Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day by Holly Royce (ad-block friendly version here)
The Irish Response to Cultural Colonialism by Ahmed Gassama
Famine movie on its way but was it genocide by the British? by Niall O’Dowd
How St. Patrick's Day Took on New Life in America by Christopher Klein
Why Irish Americans Should Embrace Their Culture of Colonial Resistance by Shannon O’Sullivan