Judy Guenseth: The Irish weren't always celebrated

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Around the corner is St. Patrick’s Day where many like to claim a touch of the Irish with the “Wearing o’ the Green.” Last year on March 16, nearly everything shut down to prevent the festivities normally occurring on March 17 from happening. This year, things are not quite back up to parade speed, but we can still celebrate St Paddy’s day with shamrock garland and green clothing.

As a grade schooler, it was fun to see how the food service would make an interesting green treat. One time though, the cooks decided to make grilled cheese sandwiches with green butter.  Many people would not take the sandwiches. Green broccoli is good, but apparently not green grilled cheese.

Years ago, new to the courtroom in my job at that time, I wondered if it was appropriate to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day. I wore a print blouse with a touch of green just to be safe. Yet on that day I saw more shades of green than I thought possible with many confessing the attire was pulled from the back of the closet. It did make me smile that a group of professionals enjoyed being green for a day.

What is it about this day that causes us to celebrate? According to the US Census Bureau Community Survey, 32 million Americans claim some Irish ancestry. With the accessibility of DNA testing, many others are discovering they do in fact have some Irish in their history.  My family did DNA testing and it indicated we are a combination of Irish, British and Swedish. This confirmed what our grandparents told us. I have always enjoyed having some Irish ancestry.

Even though many of us may have an Irish heritage, what do we know about this Irish saint? St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and he was born in Roman Britain during the late 4th century. He was kidnapped and brought to Ireland at age 16. He accomplished much in his lifetime by establishing monasteries, churches and schools in his adopted homeland.  There is also folklore surrounding St. Patrick including he used the shamrock to describe the Holy Trinity and he drove snakes out of Ireland. For over 1,000 years, the Irish have honored this saint each year with church services and feasts on March 17, the day he supposedly died in 461.

The homeland Ireland is not the only influence on the March 17 holiday, the influx of Irish into the United States and their annual events has also shaped how this day is celebrated. The first parade took place in what is now St. Augustine, Florida, in 1601. It was a Spanish colony at that time, and the parade was organized by Ricardo Artur, an Irish vicar.

Yet, life for the Irish in the United States was not always easy and there was a time when their immigration to US soil created a bitter response from the people living here. During the devastating potato famine in the mid 1800s, anywhere from 1 to 2 million Irish people fled to America to avoid starvation. Although there had always been Irish here, most were protestants. These uneducated and mostly Catholic immigrants were not welcome for a number of reasons; some feared their numbers would encourage the Pope to amass power in the United States. They took any job, many were dangerous with high risk of death, including digging canals and sewer lines for meager wages. Some claimed these Irish were not “white,” while political cartoons often portrayed them in a demeaning manner.

It’s not clear when a shift occurred but St. Patrick’s Day gave these immigrants a day to celebrate their culture, but it also opened the door for them to shape their solidarity as a group. Within the cities of Boston, Chicago and many other communities throughout the United States, St. Patrick’s Day parades and celebrations became a community focal point and enabled the Irish to coordinate their clout politically.  As intermarriage occurred, the resistance slowly abated and the Irish were assimilated into the United States culture. Eventually in 1960, an Irish Catholic became president of the United States. 

There is an irony that at one time, the general response to the Irish community was one of disdain to the current wish of wanting to be Irish for a day. There is a beauty to diversity though, we can appreciate what others bring to the table and celebrate it. No one is able to change their cultural heritage and on March 17, I will enjoy my Irish ancestry. However, we can honor others whose heritage is different from ours on their special occasions. This celebration of heritage, our own and others, validates who each of us is and does not take away but rather multiplies the joy of community. 

Judy Johnson Guenseth

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