By Caroline O’Beirne, First Year, Politics and Spanish
Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit!/Happy St Patrick’s Day!
One of the most important days in the Irish calendar, and a well-anticipated event for many, St Patrick’s Day is one of the most recognisable events to take place during the year.
Pubs in the UK are displayed with shamrock emblems and Guinness symbols, whilst amongst American cities like Boston, parades are hosted throughout the streets. Chicago even goes one step further and dyes its river green!
For those of Irish heritage like myself, St Patrick’s is an important day to reflect on our history and heritage; especially if you're not living on the Emerald Isle.
However, the celebration has become synonymous with excessive drinking, most notably Guinness, which not only excludes those who are sober from the celebrations, but in my opinion, distracts from other important aspects of Irish heritage.
Especially considering that Generation Z is becoming more and more sober, is it time for St Patrick’s Day celebrations move away from alcohol?
Firstly, we need to understand where these celebrations come from.
St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland is most famous for driving out the snakes and using the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. At the age of 16, he was kidnapped and sold as a slave. He later escaped but then returned to spread Christianity to the native population.
The 17th March is the supposed day when he died, and thus was celebrated as a religious festival for over 1000 years. Traditionally, families would attend Mass in the morning and celebrate later the day. Dietary restrictions that were normally followed during Lent were suspended as families came together to feast.
However, the celebration only developed to the global event that it is today due to the arrival of Irish immigrants in America.
Amongst the cities with large diasporas of Irish immigrants such as Boston, New York and Chicago, celebrations were held on the streets within these communities. The city of Boston was one of the first to hold a parade in 1737 and even in 1762, Irish soldiers who were serving in the British military marched out on the streets of New York City. After the arrival of huge groups of immigrants fleeing poverty and the famine after 1845, Irish political power increased over the years and these parades became more organised.
These traditions then spread across the globe. What had been quite private celebrations in Ireland, St Patrick’s Day developed into a tourist attraction in cities like Dublin and Cork.
Whilst there is nothing wrong with celebrating such an event, whether you are of Irish heritage or not, the problem with such alcohol-based celebrations, especially amongst students, is that they exclude those who are sober or who prefer not to drink.
Alcohol we know is a huge part of British University culture, especially at Bristol. Whatever night of the week we are on, there will be some club or bar we feel that we must be at or some deal we must exploit.
No one wants to feel like they are missing out.
However, when you consider that many students within our generation are drinking less than our predecessors, it’s important that people interested in celebrating this festival don’t feel excluded because they are choosing not to drink.
Aside from drinking a pint of Guinness, there are many ways to celebrate Irish heritage. For many, associating excessive drinking forms part of quite a harmful stereotype the media often associates with the Irish Diaspora.
To celebrate the holiday, students could try some Irish soda bread, corned beef or colcannon; a particular family favourite of mine.
There is a plethora of Irish music you can listen to from traditional music to more modern and Rock bands such as The Cranberries or U2. Some of world’s most acclaimed authors were also of Irish heritage such as Sally Rooney, Oscar Wilde or William Butler Yeats.
St Patrick’s Day is not just for the Irish. It is a celebration that welcomes any ethnicity. Considering this, why can’t we also extend the festival to include those who do not drink and make the event more inclusive for everyone?
Sláinte!/Cheers!
