In 2018 it snowed on St Patrick’s day!
There are days that you just can’t ignore, they are imprinted in your psyche and St Patrick’s day is one of them. It snowed here today. I have never known snow on St Patrick’s day. We will remember this one as, “Do you remember the St Patrick day when it snowed?”
Ireland was playing Rugby against England today which gave a centrepiece for the day, for many but not I. Years ago I watched International Football (soccer) and Rugby matches and at times they excited me but if I were to watch today I would be just jumping on the bandwagon. Why? Because I am not really interested.
I am wearing my green jumper and green socks probably the only time I wear green in the year. I jumped on that bandwagon! Well, I did say there are some days you can’t ignore and for me, it is a day to remember where I am from. No, don’t worry I remember every day but today kind of makes it more conscious to the outside world. Yes I know I have an accent which reminds the outside world I am not from here. Just the other week a man commented, “You are a long way from home.” Easyjet can have you there in 60 minutes though in the days when I took the ould Ulsterbus from London, 16 hours later you arrived in Belfast. That did feel like a long way from home.
I played a few tunes in the car and as they always do a tear or two came to my eye. There is something about living across a sea that creates a distance between where you are now and where you are from, at least psychologically.
Patrick may well have been more of an introvert than extrovert and if so he would probably shy away from his own birthday party. He may well have his own Youtube channel and do his daily preach though after he did ‘his thing’ he was happy to walk his dog, buy his paper and sit by the fire with a cup of tea. In the evening he may have poured a Guinness thought of Wales and watched the special ‘Songs of Praise’ TV programme coming from Dublin.
St Patrick like all legends becomes a product of the dominant extroverted mind. No bad thing. We and those before us throw in our lot and the celebration becomes bigger than any one person. Indeed it becomes so big it symbolises the nation. But what is the nation? The nation in celebrations will reflect the dominant but there will be alternatives it is just a case of finding them or maybe like Patrick doing your own thing.
Best St Patrick day 2018
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