The fact that St. Patrick's Day has become a big drunken party in the US makes me sick. Today I had a newspaper reporter come up to me after I sang at the library this morning. His first question was, What does St. Patrick's Day mean to you? I thought that question was a bit odd, but I answered that being raised an Irish Catholic, it was a holy day honoring the patron saint of Ireland. It wasn't until I started reading this thread that I realized that what may have motivated him to ask the question was all the alcoholic partying that goes on now on March 17. I mentioned at the beginning of the program for the kids this morning that St. Patrick's Day is different in Ireland than in America, and some of the "inventions" of the US, like eating corned beef or wearing green clothes (instead of wearing a real shamrock). It is a shame that people here really know so little about it, yet go HOG WILD over any excuse to sell cars, furniture, beer, etc., with stupid ads showing four leaf clovers instead of shamrocks, fake Irish accents,.... don't get me started.