Happy St Patricks Day to all

as an aside my Aunty Pat is 80 today

not me either as I had to wimp out early (shameful I know)

due to our small numbers - i can hazard a guess at who was under the weather yesterday!

was a good night had by all?



Happy Birthday Auntie Pat!

That seems to be about par for the course for most people claiming Irishness at this time of year.

Thank you, I am sure she'll be celebrating tonight despite her age

Boy, did he ever go downhill ...

All my dreams are shattered. But at least I can now claim to be as Irish as Shane ...

I at least have an Irish passport, which is a good deal more than most ...

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone.

I just celebrated by going to the dentist

I will spend the rest of the day trying to explain to my son what a Saint is.

The St. Patrick's Day stuff over here really gets my goat.

I don't consider myself to be remotely Irish, despite the fact that I'm Catholic and have Irish Catholic ancestors up the wazoo, and that my Step-Dad is 100% Paddy (even with the first name of Patrick).

One of my friends ancestors probably flew over Ireland at some point, or had a shamrock waved at her. As a result of very tenuous claims on ancestry, she got a clover leaf tattoo, and loudly proclaims that she is Irish to anyone who will remotely listen. She is in fact, more Irish than me. Despite the fact that actually my Irish ancestry (not just Step-Father of Irishness) is more recent than hers. For ages I thought that her Dad or something was Irish. But No. Her family is actually French Canadian!

This really really p's me off. :curse::curse::curse::curse: I mean, just what is supposed to be so special about being Irish...

As for St. Patrick's day, the day when North Americans the world over loudly proclaim that their second cousin three times removed had a great grandfather who was Irish. Well really! I find the whole thing totally ridiculous!

And breathe!!!!!

I think this time last year there was a thread about the plastic paddy syndrome, and I too am not overly sure why many would chase you down the street to tell you that they are Irish somewhere down the line.

Maybe there is a special club that you go to when you die if you can prove tenuous links to kissing the Blarney Stone or something.

I do find some things quite laughable though - as though some need to find something to 'belong' to. As a quick aside a friend of mine here has just got her Méti (sp?) status - and all you hear her say is "I'll get a share of the land that white man stole from us, and I don't have to pay taxes (probably of more benefit if you had a job there dear!) and my kids get free education etc etc etc. Before this pice of paper no-one had a clue about her links to the first nations, now all it is about is what she can get for it.

How about just being proud of your heritage - wherever you hail from without throwing it down peoples throats in an attempt gain some form of identity because you can't be bothered to work on your own

Or better, still, how about being proud of things you have some control over, rather than random accidents of birth?

My OH's family in Montreal are all of Irish decent and are so proud to be Irish. FWIW I'm from Northern Ireland and was brought up Catholic. I remember saying to my MIL that I thought it was a little silly to be proud of being Irish as it's just an accident of birth and nothing more I don't think they were very impressed with me.

(agree with Bazzz on this one.)

Know what you mean Pretty Flowers - the amount of people here in my town in SK when they hear my accent in the place I work, are all suddenly Irish - at the start I used to be dumb and say "Oh are you from Ireland" but it was always their great - great grandfather twice removed's cousin etc etc was born in Ireland in the 1600's (well i may be slightly exaggerating but you know what I mean).

Also they have all been sooo ecxited this past week to know how I will be celebrating Paddy's Day - pointless trying to explain the complicated I'm a Protestant from N.I therefore I am British so dont celebrate Paddy's Day- and they have all been shocked when I say I'm painting my living room.

My uncle lives in Australia (he's been there over 30 years) and I think out of all our family he probably celebrates St. Patrick's Day the most as he sings and plays bass in an Irish Band. The funny thing is he's originally an Northern Irish Protestant and was even a member of the Apprentice Boys before he moved to OZ.

Not green, I take it?

I've just died of shock - oh the shame of it all - I can't handle it...oh, no wait, phew forgot I was in Canada there for a minute and forgot I don't really give a monkey's anymore

shhh you shouldn't be replying publicly to my posts...your a Catholic, I'm not allowed to talk to you