St. Patrick's Day Etiquite

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Scrump
Date: 13 Mar 07 - 08:42 AM

I'm happy to celebrate any Saint's Day - David, Andrew, Patrick or George. Any excuse for a few beers and some music and songs :-)

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Lox
Date: 13 Mar 07 - 10:13 AM

What happens on "St Jean de Brebeuf's" day?

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Scrump
Date: 13 Mar 07 - 10:19 AM

Dunno, but it sounds a good excuse for a p***-up :-)

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 14 Mar 07 - 09:31 AM

Passed a pub today advertising "St Patrick's Day Karaoke Night" and wondered how many versions of Danny Boy they'd get!

RtS

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Scrump
Date: 14 Mar 07 - 09:50 AM

Karaoke? It will be the Corrs, U2 and the Boomtown Rats :-(

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Jimmy C
Date: 14 Mar 07 - 05:56 PM

Lox,

What happens on "St Jean de Brebeuf's" day? If I am not mistaken the Patron Saint of Canada is St. Joseph,. St. Jean de Brebeuf was an early Jesuit missionary who was martyred along with his companions at Ste. Marie among the Hurons in Midland, Ontario. I have visited the site many times.

Scrump - You got it right, any excuse for a bit of a party is ok by me, whether it be Paddy's Day, Davids Day , Andrew's, George's, Harpo's or Groucho's

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Mar 07 - 09:11 PM

Patrick may have come from Wales, he may have come from Scotland, he may even have come from France. The one place he certainly never came from was Ireland.

The point is, those might have been the places he left, but Ireland was the place he chose to go to to live and die, which is perhaps more significant.

St Andrew and St Gorge of course had nothing whatsoever to do with Scotland or England. St David was the odd one out, because he actually was a Welshman.

The thing about St Patrick's Day as a big deal with parades and all that, it's very much an American invention, so the American Irish songs have a right to be part of it.

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: mg
Date: 14 Mar 07 - 09:25 PM

I think it was more a holy day. I know in Newfoundland..at least I think I remember this, it was a holy day of obligation..although perhaps not offically through the pope...

I am thinking, after reading a bit about Big BIll Devery, my dear departed possible great grand uncle, that it ...well, I know it has its origins in a show of force, like don't mess with us...we're here and get used to it...well, that is what I think anyway..if you have seen the Gangs of New York, which I can only watch little bits of when it comes on TV (it seems to alternate almost daily with Steve Martin movies on my TV) ...you can just imagine those people assemblng and marching.

Someone asked on a TV show what a shilleleigh was..some caller said a walking stick..oh I do not think so...

Well, I am actually going to march in the parade in Seattle this year. I got the days off both my jobs and an appointment with my favorite doctor and it should be fun. I'll probably go the Seattle Center after and then wherever Clay Pipe is playing. I know know which county to go with...Kerry...mg

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Mr Happy
Date: 14 Mar 07 - 10:03 PM

An American invention, proof here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Patricks_Day

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Jim Lad
Date: 14 Mar 07 - 10:15 PM

It's a Holiday of Obligation, mg.

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 15 Mar 07 - 02:01 PM

Only in Ireland, so far as I know. But I'd imagine in Newfoundland going to Mass on the day might very likely have been an accepted thing to do.

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Jim Lad
Date: 15 Mar 07 - 02:10 PM

It was always a Holiday of Obligation in Scotland.

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Gulliver
Date: 15 Mar 07 - 02:43 PM

The parade might be an American invention, but St. Patrick's Day has been around a long time. According to the historian Liam de Paor, in

St. Patrick's World, The Christian Culture of Ireland's Apostolic Age
Translations and Commentaries by Liam de Paor
Four Courts Press, Dublin, 1993:

From the seventh century onward, Patrick was regarded as pre-eminent among Ireland's early saints. His feast day, as a kind of national day, was already being celebrated by the Irish in Europe in the ninth and tenth centuries. In later times he become more and more widely known as the patron of Ireland.

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: PoppaGator
Date: 15 Mar 07 - 03:00 PM

mg has a good point: Irish-American culture ~ specifically, the culture of Irish-Catholic immigrants to the US and their descendants ~ is something entirely different from the culture of Ireland itself. And this is especially pertinent when discussing the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, because observation of this holiday took on an entirely new public dimension in the US. As noted in the very interesting Wikipedia article cited above, the first St. Patrick's Day parade was organized in the US; prior to that event, obervation of the patron's day in Ireland was primarily religious and/or private ~ attendance at morning Mass and perhaps the wearing of a little sprig of a shamrock for the balance of the day.

An entirely different approach developed in the US, where Irish imiigrants found themselves to be an embattled minority, only gradually finding opportunities to join the political, and later the economic, mainstream.

Not every Irish-American family maintained a close connection to the "mother country." My own grandfather was very adamant about being an American, and leaving behind all concern with The Troubles back in the old country. In households like ours, where there was no interest in keeping up "authentically" Irish cultural traditions, American and/or popular expressions of Irishness, like "Danny Boy," "McNamara's Band" and "Toora-Loora-Loora" became the entire essence of the Paddy's Day celebration.

As far as the excessive drunkenness is concerned, here's my theory: This aspect of the "fun" is really the province of young men, and the relative few older guys who refuse to ever grow up. In the upwardly-mobile Irish-American culture ~ among the "shanty Irish" aspiring to "lace-curtain" status ~ this population has generally been sequestered in highly disciplined all-boys Catholic schools, with few opportunities to escape from under the thumb of repression. March 17 each year would mark a very rare opportunity for this tightly controlled population to let loose. One day a year does not provide adequate opportunity to break free of the sexual aspect of institutional repression ~ these young guys would only rarely have the know-how or the requisite confidence to charm a member of the opposite gender out of her figurative pants. On the other hand, it doesn't require any sophistication or prior study to figure out how to pour alcohol down one's throat. So, on the one day a year when such overindulgence is not only permitted but even encouraged, even for the legally underaged, guess what happens?

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Jim Lad
Date: 15 Mar 07 - 04:43 PM

Well, it starts tonight.
Wince!

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Gulliver
Date: 15 Mar 07 - 10:05 PM

We started off our St Patrick's festival unexpectedtly early at our session tonight because there were so many foreigners there wanting to sing, mainly US, but also Spanish, Chinese, Brits, and we still coudn't get them all in. Need a bigger venue!!

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: erinmaidin
Date: 16 Mar 07 - 06:43 PM

heya gulliver? where are you playing in Dublin? I'm over here....we're playing dun laoghaire tomorrow night but would love to have any leftover jobs that might be lying around during the afternoon

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: JZ
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 03:04 AM

Haul Away Snow © 2001 Stuart Markus
with new verses for the snowstorm here in NYC!!! 3-17-07

The storm that came St. Paddy's Day came on with great ferocity
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow
To grownups, t'was a shovellin' pain, to kids a curiosity
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow

Way, haul away, we'll all haul together
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow
Way, haul away, we'll haul for better weather
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow

A snowflake is a dainty thing until they all gang up on you
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow
So better shovel early before they all freeze up on you
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow
      CHORUS

Now way Upstate, they like to ski, and others like their sledding
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow
But in New York we stay indoors all huddled in our bedding
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow
      CHORUS

In Rochester, a foot of snow will barely get them humming
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow
But here we raid the stores as if the second flood is coming
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow
      CHORUS

It's difficult to shovel snow just using a shillelagh
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow
I'd rather be in Maui strumming on a ukulele
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow
      CHORUS

I'd rather be in Dublin town awash in fields of clover
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow
I've got no way of leaving town- my driveway's been plowed over
Way, haul away, we'll haul away snow
      CHORUS

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Gulliver
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 02:49 PM

Erinmaiden, sorry, didn't see your post until today. Anyway, we generally play around the Liberties area or around Camden Street.

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Pioden
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 08:25 PM

Hi - I'm a new joiner to mudcat, just found it tonight, but have heard about it before.
I hope all enjoyed the season (yes, more than one day), whether by yourself, with friends, or with a bunch or strangers. Anyone else drained? If you know folks who gigged a lot last week (5 hour long solo gigs, plus about 7 band gigs this week) DON'T expect much in the way of brains for these next few days. I think I'm finally beginning to recoup my sleep from last week, and find myself staring off into space alot!

I can't lie, though, it was loads of fun, cheesy green stuff and all. It helps I'm a people person, and usually enjoy throngs. I could do away with drunks trying to pick me up, but other than that and all the smoke I'm still clearing out (I have to air out my fiddle and case, not to mention lungs), it's one of the funnest times of year for me.

Senior homes are great to play for, especially if they can pay you - a win/win situation - and talk about appreciative audiences! I find that if I have a set list, don't give them time to think about requests, and throw in several of the 'green beers', I can get away without some of the most annoying (though I don't mind singing Danny Boy, if I can keep from choking up, that's one sad song!).

I think the essence of St.Pat's etiquette (as with any other) is to live and let live - have fun if you want, but don't push into another's boundaries!
Deep Breath, it's (mostly) done now!
Pioden

Subject: RE: St. Patrick's Day Etiquite
From: Scrump
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 11:12 AM

Well said Pioden.