There is a phenomena that occurs when people immigrate to the United States of America. They get here, fully expecting to find a niche community of their fellow nationalities where they can integrate and still follow the customs and culture of their homeland. Well, some of that may be true...but very often they find that Americans have taken many of those cultures and turned them, well, much more American. This was the case for me when I moved to America as a young Irishman and found that Saint Patrick's Day was much different than what I had back home. If it weren't so absolutely widespread here, then it would be completely disrespectful. You, as an individual, can help educate and guide your friends by just observing three rules.
You can wear your crazy Irish t shirts, but please have a little class about it. Yes, it is true that there is a terrible stereotype out there that the Irish are heavy drinkers. No, it is not alright to wear a shirt that makes fun of that stereotype. Do not be offensive to the people whom you are celebrating on Saint Patrick's Day. I find it distasteful and uncouth when I see drunk idiots wearing shirts about being drunk and being Irish. It's not appropriate. There are plenty of shirts out there that you can wear that are fun, but not offending.
Traditional Irish Pubs are a great place to hang out 364 days of the year. They are extremely low-key and they serve all of the best beer brands. You can typically get a pretty fine meal there and no one gets to loud. On March 17th, these pubs turn into madhouses. Kids who have never stepped through the door before in their lives come screaming into my pub and act like drunken monkeys for about 5 hours before leaving the place a mess of discarded green Irish tee shirts and headaches. If you absolutely must be a drunk idiot, then go do it at some mainstream bar that would love to have you.
Americans need to understand that to the Catholic Irish, Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday at its core. It is important for devout Catholics to observe the Saints Days as they were meant to be observed and to attend church on March 17th for mass and services. This being the case, please be considerate within the vicinity of churches on Saint Patrick's Day. Celebrations in the big cities have a tendency to spill out onto the streets, so try to maintain a bit of decorum and steer your party out of the churchyard.
The Irish don't ask much in payment for taking our holiday from us, really. All we want is respect. If you can come have fun with us and have a few drinks while maintaining a level of respect for our culture, then we welcome you with open arms. If you're going to be just one more loud, drunken, irreverent punk...well, I hope you enjoy head butts for dinner. We'll be serving them up all night long at the pub I spend my time at. Wear your loud Irish tshirts and come have the time of your lives, just be civilized about it, won't you?
You can wear your crazy Irish t shirts, but please have a little class about it. Yes, it is true that there is a terrible stereotype out there that the Irish are heavy drinkers. No, it is not alright to wear a shirt that makes fun of that stereotype. Do not be offensive to the people whom you are celebrating on Saint Patrick's Day. I find it distasteful and uncouth when I see drunk idiots wearing shirts about being drunk and being Irish. It's not appropriate. There are plenty of shirts out there that you can wear that are fun, but not offending.
Traditional Irish Pubs are a great place to hang out 364 days of the year. They are extremely low-key and they serve all of the best beer brands. You can typically get a pretty fine meal there and no one gets to loud. On March 17th, these pubs turn into madhouses. Kids who have never stepped through the door before in their lives come screaming into my pub and act like drunken monkeys for about 5 hours before leaving the place a mess of discarded green Irish tee shirts and headaches. If you absolutely must be a drunk idiot, then go do it at some mainstream bar that would love to have you.
Americans need to understand that to the Catholic Irish, Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday at its core. It is important for devout Catholics to observe the Saints Days as they were meant to be observed and to attend church on March 17th for mass and services. This being the case, please be considerate within the vicinity of churches on Saint Patrick's Day. Celebrations in the big cities have a tendency to spill out onto the streets, so try to maintain a bit of decorum and steer your party out of the churchyard.
The Irish don't ask much in payment for taking our holiday from us, really. All we want is respect. If you can come have fun with us and have a few drinks while maintaining a level of respect for our culture, then we welcome you with open arms. If you're going to be just one more loud, drunken, irreverent punk...well, I hope you enjoy head butts for dinner. We'll be serving them up all night long at the pub I spend my time at. Wear your loud Irish tshirts and come have the time of your lives, just be civilized about it, won't you?
About the Author:
You can find a vast selection of funny drinking Irish t-shirt by visiting our web pages. To shop our online catalog of awesome Irish t-shirts, click the links on our home page today.
No comments:
Post a Comment