A Letter from Ireland
a Chara,
It is that time of the year again. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, or Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona Daoibh, or even Happy Saint Paddy’s Day. But never Happy St Patty’s!
March 17th will be celebrated around the globe with music, parades, dancing, recitals, and landmarks illuminated green. There might even be the occasional party and a toast raised.
Ireland is an outlier as our national day is celebrated across many nations. It is an inclusive celebration at which all are welcome. A day when céad míle fáilte is more than a sign over the door, it is an invitation to come in and take a seat.
I have always wondered why St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated so widely. Sometimes it takes an outsider to look in. I recently read Tom Hayden’s, “Irish On The Inside”. He details his journey as a sixties radical to uncover his Irish roots. A voyage of discovery is detailed in Tom Keneally’s, “The Great Shame” about the Irish in Australia.
Both are books embedded in the emigrant experience. Generations that faced hardship, discrimination, and poverty. In Britain it was, “No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs” and in the US it was, “No Irish Need Apply”.
The Irish abroad balanced the need to assimilate to survive with the urge to hold onto their Irish culture and heritage. A pride in Ireland, but a recognition in the words of the Pogue’s song, “Where e’er we go, we celebrate, the land that makes us refugees”. Many could not contain these contradictions and got lost in despair, longing, and addiction.
Our history is one of colonialism and repression with the banning of the Irish language, music, dance, and the catholic religion. In 1603, Elizabeth I concerning Ireland, proclaimed, “Hang all harpers where found and burn the instruments”.
That was the driver of wave after wave of emigration.
Through all of this, the culture endured in Ireland and traveled with the people into exile. Celebrating St. Patrick in Ireland became a religious duty, a cultural celebration, and an act of resistance. The wearing of green became a symbol of resistance for the United Irishmen. Across the globe, it became an act of solidarity and community.
The Irish Republican values of liberty, equality, and fraternity are universal. They define what is best in the Irish nation in all its diversity. Our culture is evolving, and thriving. Last weekend ten thousand turned up in Melbourne to support the Irish language rap trio, “Kneecap”.
Some want to narrowly define what it means to be Irish. They are ignorant of our history. Ours is a shared culture, open and inclusive. We have never set out to conquer any nation or exclude others. The Irish people have set up homes across the globe, contributed, and maintained the connection to Ireland.
So here’s to celebrating all that is good with Ireland, our culture and experience.
Remember sixty-two nations celebrate Independence from Britain, this St. Patrick’s Day let us commit to making Ireland the sixty-third.
Slánite!
Ciarán
Ciarán Quinn is the Sinn Féin Representative to North America. Each week he writes a letter from Ireland with news and analysis. It is featured in the weekly Friends of Sinn Féin USA Newsletter. Be sure you are subscribed to stay up to date.
