folkman - 25 Jan 04 - 10:10 AM

A little note on St.Patrick's Day as it is now celebrated - It was introduced in America as a PR exercise to counter the ill-feeling of the local population towards the Irish in-comers. St.Patrick's Day is what it is - an "Oirish" piss-up pure and simple. The Scots make no claim that their two celebrations in anyway compare - Thank God.

In Ireland, itself, before 1972 you would have been hard put to even get a drink in a pub on St.Patrick's Day, it was a religious festival, hotels and hotel bars were open but that was about it.

The Parades, Shamrock, parties & fun that are associated with 17th March are celebrated all over the world. St.Patrick's Day spans at most about a week. Burns Nights and Burns Suppers span about seven weeks and are held the world over.