So it is St. Patrick's Day and I am not Irish. How am I supposed to justify celebrating a holiday that isn't in my blood? Is it even legal to celebrate a holiday to which one doesn't have a connection? Granted, I put on a green shirt and went to work today, half-heartedly celebrating what is not mine to celebrate. Then, it suddenly occurred to me that I do have a connection to Ireland. My ancestors were intimately acquainted with the Irish. . . in a sense. . . I mean, there has to be a certain amount of intimacy between a man who takes another man's life, right? Or a man who fathers an illegitimate child with a stranger, right? So hundreds of years ago my Viking ancestors raided Ireland and I am sure that somewhere there is a distant cousin who was fathered by some Viking who happens to be my progenitor. Hence, many of the Irish are like brothers, or cousins, or something. HECK YES! I am about as Irish as someone who isn't Irish can be! Long live St. Patrick's Day!
6 comments:
I agree! You're totally Irish! Welcome to the club...
Hey, me too! I'm a whole lot of British, which means that my people have been pillaging, pludering and generally supressing the Irish for centuries! Surly I have some illegitimate Irish blood in me somewhere.
I think it might be fair to say that nearly every European culture has plundered the Irish at one point or another. Thats one of the things that makes us so cool :D We see everyone as equally.
I ate corned beef and cabbage every St.Patrick's Day growing up. I think that qualifies me as part Irish. I don't actually have anyone in my life that will really argue with me on this point, so I'll claim it.
So, I gotta know, where's that first picture from? Cuz I wanna go there and see that.
I spent St. Patricks day with Irish people while in Boston, and all I can say is that if the smell of alcohol is the official scent of the Irish...I'm disowning my heritage!
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