St Patricks Day
 

Is it only me, or does it get up anyone else's nose the way the yanks celebrate St Patricks Day.

Dont get me wrong, Ive nothing against the irish.
I did 6 tours over there, and at one time was even engaged to an irish girl.

But what really pisses me off, are the clowns over here, who will tell you they are ' Irish' and they've never even seen the sky over I.

These are the same wallies, who ride around in a truck with a plate on the front announcing 'God made the Irish # 1"

They seem to have some romantic notion about the irish, that they are a downtrodden nation existing in the shadow of the UK;

Or if its not Ireland, they'll tell you the are a fifth Scottish, a fifth Ukranian, one tenth portugese, need I go on?

Any thoughts anyone, or am i out of order?

Re: St Patricks Day
 

I'm irish and I must say that I'm really looking forward to fielding even more stupid questions than usual over the next 6 weeks :rolleyes:

Re: St Patricks Day
 

Davy, are potatoes widely available in Ireland yet?? :D

Re: St Patricks Day
 

Welcome to the US. Get used to it!:D


NC Penguin

Re: St Patricks Day
 

Not as big in this part of the world as the locals are not allowed to drink beer. Green milk also looks absolutely disgusting.;)

Re: St Patricks Day
 

yeah para welcome to the usa...get used to them going ott for most occasions...bless :rolleyes:

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Davy, what's the celebrations like in the City? I'll be over by then, worth a trip in from the Suburbs?

Re: St Patricks Day
 

It's the devil spawn...along with all other holidays...it was pretty big up in maine where we use to live, but then there were a few paddies there at least...

I'm worried about it this year, being this close to beantown...the home of the plastic paddy...or is that chicago? :D

Re: St Patricks Day
 

Yes - we eat them daily with corned beef and cabbage

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Americans are the best marketers in the world......$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

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Got a good recipe?

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Actually I've never been downtown for the 'Big Day' so I can't really comment.
I have seen the parade on the TV and it wouldn't really be my cup of tea to be honest. Without wanting to turn this thread into a political debate there seems to be the perception in the US the St Patrick is the patron saint of the Republic of Ireland - not Ireland as a whole - I find this to be somewhat annoying.

Still - as a newbie you should prob check it out - the train will deposit you in the centre of town for $5 so its easy enough to get there. In fact being as you're moving to the 'burbs I recommend heading into the city at every available opportunity - its like a different world.

Re: St Patricks Day
 

There's a few places fighting it out for that title - I'd say Boston might just shade it though.

Re: St Patricks Day
 

Aye, it is a weird old game...it can be a musing, but green beer, green milk, green hair, all that cabbage...can be a bit much, and half the munters who are inked up with clovers and the like probably don't even know where Ireland is, let alone the whole issue of the north and republic etc....but it's somin' for hallmark to keep busy after valentines :lol:

Re: St Patricks Day
 

Do they do the corned beef thing in Boston too.
I have no idea where the f**k that comes from - all our corned beef back home came in tins from Argentina :confused:

Re: St Patricks Day
 

yeah, they do it around here too...and it was big in maine too....someone explained it was because corned beef and cabbage was cheap and all the immigrants of the time could afford and it just got associated with the Irish...would have thought it would have been spuds if that was the case though, so who knows.

Re: St Patricks Day
 

That makes sense - its an immigrant thing, not an irish thing then - never thought about that

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Yeah defintely plan to get a day in the city at least every other weekend once I get there. The train journey's a little annoying as it's so slow but reading the paper on the way in makes it bearable!

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I had the same plan about beantown....just got to lazy to bother after a visit :lol: ...don't help that it's a tad more pricier using the commuter rail, or tolls and parking make a drive a mare...

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Depends what line you use and when you go - only takes me 40 minutes to get to work on the express but the 'local' service takes a bit longer.
On the plus side they do allow you to drink on the train so if you're heading in at weekends take a carryout.

Re: St Patricks Day
 

It's a big thing in the schools too. They make decorations and you get pinched if you do not wear green :mad: - everyone assumes I celebrate it as I'm from the UK and it must be a big thing in England:rolleyes: All about commercialism

Re: St Patricks Day
 

I'd start keeping it in the fridge if i were you:p

What gets me are all the t-shirts in Target proclaiming just how great the irish were. I'd tend to agree but 99.9% of the wearers are from what i can tell not irish at all (dons flameproof undies:rofl: )

Re: St Patricks Day
 

It's the land of the plastic paddy...everyone is American until they talk about heritage and suddenly there actually Scottish, Irish...but not Welsh :D

Unless you've lived there, been brought up there, born there, or the same for your folks, you really ain't from there....but maybe I'm just not getting it.

Re: St Patricks Day
 

Exactly Robert,

"I'm Italian......"
Really? When did you move here then?
"uh, er......well I'm Italian descent......."

Substitute Irish, Scottish, German, Polish........etc

Funny how you never hear "I'm an English American though" ........wonder why:rolleyes:

Re: St Patricks Day
 

I know what you mean, but i actually met a local last night who was extolling his Welsh heritage:rofl: (I was flippin amazed):eek:

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gotta be the first....didn't do a sheep joke then? :D

Re: St Patricks Day
 

No sheep, but he probably married a 'dragon' !!.

Re: St Patricks Day
 

The people that I used to work with were suprised that we Irish didn't eat corned beef and cabbage back in Ireland. I kept telling them that it's only an Irish American thing. Bob was right when he posted that the Irish immigrants used corned beef instead of bacon when they arrived here, and that's the whole corned beef and cabbage thing started!
The only corned beef I ate once or twice when I lived back in NI was that out of a can and it smelt like cat food :eek:

BigDavyG - did you know that St. Patrick was buried in Downpatrick? I did climb Slemish mountain several times on St. Patrick's day to see where it was claimed that St. Patrick banished all the snakes from Ireland. It was always cold and wet on those days :)

Re: St Patricks Day
 

also not English, funny that Americans don't want to admit to that ;)
But if I have to listen to one more complete family tree recital I'll go mad :eek: I don't get the "My ancestors are Irish/Scottish" I get the whole nine yards of how far back it goes then at the end the usual "have you heard of them?'
The funny thing is I did actually know one!!!:ohmy:

Re: St Patricks Day
 

That wasn't Dave in Edinboro was it????????

I've met him:rofl:

Re: St Patricks Day
 

yeah how did you know :eek: :rofl:

(I edited for you ;))

Re: St Patricks Day
 

oh yeah that dave.... i'd forgotten about him...he was in my class at school :rolleyes: :lol:

Re: St Patricks Day
 

Hello Choppi

He's meant to be buried in Downpatrick under that big stone but lots of people dispute that.
Slemish always seems to have a big cloud over it, but it is a funny looking mountain, isn't it ??

As for the corned beef I thought it wasn't bad with a salad - nice with salad cream :thumbup:

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Me mum used to make sandwiches for me da and mix brown sauce (ie. HP Sauce) with it!!

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Was going to mention that too - I never liked it but I know lots of people who did.

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That's great - I must start asking that question whenever some Yank comes out with this type of line! :D


My wife's German - (I mean really German!) - and when people find out they usually say, "Oh - so does she speak any German then?". Still haven't come up with a smart answer to this one...

Re: St Patricks Day
 

I've been rubbing shoulders with the 'plastic paddys' in plastic paddy pubs the last couple of weekends - places which I usually avoid at all costs (because of the plastic bit, not the Irish bit) - in order to watch Wales in the Six nations. Was actually surprised at how many genuine Irish there were in attendance... Even a couple of Welsh (plus Yanks in Welsh shirts!!!)

And before anyone starts - yes, Wales have been extraordinarily shite so far...

Re: St Patricks Day
 

My DH hails from Glasgow and still has the "accent" which usually triggers the family tree discussion. I've got to say that I am enormously impressed with just how active the Scots were in going forth and multiplying so many Americans.:lol: No wonder they all looked so tired.;)

Re: St Patricks Day
 

:D

I've been d/loading them and watching the England games at work and doing my best to not hear the results till after I've seen the England game, so I'm none the wiser, but it was a cracking opening week :D

Re: St Patricks Day
 

Well I am off to New York for Paddy's week to meet 7 of my Irish friends who coming in for it. I for one can't wait. Paddy's day is always better away for Ireland for some reason and I reckon NYC is the best city in the world to be in for the day.