A Short History of the St. Patrick's Day Parade in the US

For as long as we can remember we've celebrated St. Patrick's Day with miles of green, shamrocks, leprechauns and crazy outfits. Some people even pollute their beer with green dye . 😑 No one really stops to think about why though.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated all across the world on March 17th, but nowhere celebrates with more enthusiasm than the United States. Despite being one of the most celebrated days, it is not actually a "holiday" of any kind. It is not a recognized state or federal holiday. It is just something we do as a culture.

So where did so much enthusiasm come from? How did it pick up so much traction?

Well, the Irish were occupied by the British, but their oppression was more than just a conquering nation subjecting the people to their will. As a nation of protestants, the British punished the Irish with laws that didn't allow Catholics to own property or have any basic rights. This effectively kept Irish Catholics impoverished and under control. The Irish were exiled to various countries for even the smallest infractions.

After their arrival in the US their treatment was not much better. While the laws in the US did not keep the Irish from doing all the things they couldn't in their own country, it was the attitude of those surrounding them that continued to keep them on the outskirts.

So what does this have to do with St. Patrick's Day and parades? Well, the Irish are a hardy, resilient people and in the face of their adversity, they chose to celebrate their heritage, their ethnicity and a love of the country they were no longer in.

In 1737 the Charitable Irish Society was created by a group of Irishmen in Boston. According to Thoughtco.com it is considered legend that they also had a modest parade. The CIS is still a very active group! Here is part of their mission statement from their website.

"Since its founding in 1737, the mission of the Charitable Irish Society has been to provide aid and assistance to newly arrived Irish immigrants in the Boston area as they face the multiple challenges of adjusting to and assimilating into a new city and country – an issue as important today as it ever was!  Many individuals seeking assistance are referred to us by other organizations serving immigrants, including the Consulate General of Ireland, the Irish International Immigrant Center, and the Irish Pastoral Centre."

Twenty-five years later, the first known full-scale parade occurred in New York City. As more Irish immigrants continued to increase in the States, parades began to take place in cities all across the country. These parades reminded each other and themselves that they were worthy of being seen. They were not invisible people to be ignored. They deserved to be treated as humans. This became even more of a need as time went on and the Americans continued to treat the Irish as if they were less than. In 1854 the first ad appeared in the classified "No Irish Need Apply"(NYTimes). This phrase would soon become the employment refrain and no matter where the Irish went they couldn't find jobs. The only jobs were the lowest paying and the most dangerous. 

Why were the Irish despised so much? Because they were Catholic. The protestants believed that Catholocism was in direct conflict of what it is to be American (sound like a familiar refrain? It seems like the reasons just keep changing). They suffered a great deal at the hands of these Americans who saw them as a threat and blatantly denied them their rights as groups managed to get their Anti-Irish friends elected across the country. 

The parades allowed the Irish to cling to their identity, their history and their religion in a very public manner. As time went on and the Irish pushed forward, the parades grew and grew until they became a tradition. 

So where can you find the most epic parades? 

New York City (no surprise there!) Interestingly this parade has no floats or cars, but more than 100,000 participants that are all performers of one variety or another. 

Savannah, GA (When I found this out several years ago, I was surprised) "Although Savannah only has a population of 150,000, it has the second largest St. Patrick's Day parade behind New York City. In addition to the parade, this historic southern city also hosts a three-day long St. Patrick's Day festival. If you arrive in Savannah early, you can also check out the famous "Greening of the Fountain." In the week leading up to St. Patrick's Day, Savannah dyes all of its fountains green, starting with the famous Forsyth Park fountain. (Rand McNally). 

Chicago, IL: The third largest celebration in the country is known for using vegetable dye to make the river green!

Boston: Known as the hub of all things Irish, it is surprising that it comes in 4th on thos list! This one is a little bit more of an adult type celebration. There are definitely family friendly activities, but they are known for political roasts and pub crawls.

Find more about this list from the Rand McNally blog

Here in Rhode Island we do not celebrate for a day as they do in other places, bor do we celebrate for 3 days as Savannah does. We celebrate for an entire MONTH. There are 3 major parades in RI. 

Pawtucket is always the first weekend in March. The official kickoff of the season is at the Celtic for the Faces of Ireland.  This event is a fundraiser and chooses one female amd one male to represent an Irish pair in the parade. It's kind of like electing a royal couple like other parents amd parades do. 

A beloved and popular band, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones (not to be confused with the famous band The Wolfetones) played at the Galway Bay Irish Pub. 

Then comes the Friday night Grand Marshall dinner where an influencer in the Irish community is honored. This happens Providence and Newport as well.

After the parade everyone goes to the Armory for music,  food and vendors with an amazing visit from the Rhode Island Pipes and Drums. 

After that everyone goes to their favorite celebration spot.

I will be honest. I don't know much about the parade days in Providence and Newport. Despite being in this state for 12.5 years I've only been to Providence once for St. Patrick's Day. 

If you want to attend these celebrations the one thing to remember is the Newport will always have the closest Sunday prior to March 17th and Providence gets the next one.

This year Pawtucket's parade is TODAY! Newport 3/14 and Providence on 3/21

So in remembrance of hwy we have this day to begin with please be kind to one another, be safe and have a great day! 

See you at the parade! It starts at noon in front of McCoy stadium.

http://www.rifirepipes.org/

https://www.randmcnally.com/blog/post/the-biggest-st-patricks-day-celebrations-in-the-us

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2015/09/08/insider/1854-no-irish-need-apply.amp.html

https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/st-patricks-day-religious-holy-day-or-ethnic-holiday

https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-st-patricks-day-parade-1773800

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/this-day-in-history/first-st-patricks-day-parade

Is it Paddy or Patty and Does it Matter?

It starts every March and much to the pain of anyone has any Irish blood, we see the Happy St. Patty's day comments coming out. It's cringy at best and insulting at worst. 

I have a thing about names. Names are important. Don't be lazy amd disrespectful and choose not learn someone's name properly....but that's another issue. Let's get back to St. Patrick. 

St. Patrick was the Catholic saint who drove the "snakes" aka Druids out of Ireland (newsflash, they are still there ;) ). In Ireland it has always been a day of mourning as March 17th marks the day of his death. The celebrations are starting to become more US like these days. 

Anyway...his name was Patrick, but in the Irish language the name is actually Padraig.  Thos can be pronounced in a few ways but my family says pore-ack (though sometimes it sounds like pore-ag). 

So the nickname Paddy comes from Padraig not Patrick. Patty is the short name for Patricia. 

So...

Padraig/Patrick = Paddy

Patricia = Patty

It is St. Patrick's day or St. Paddy's Day but NEVER St. Patty's day!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/sport/2007/jul/24/golf.comment

It's the Month of the Irish!

Every March we get ready to celebrate Saint Patrick's day. In Rhode Island it is the month of the Irish rather than a day.

  This month celebrate the beautiful culture of the Irish. I will post Samsung series, facts and history about the country of my husband's childhood and my children's heritage.

Here are some things that's I have already posted on my personal Facebook page.

CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE 

Did you know...

Corned beef and cabbage is synonymous with St. Patrick's Day and the Irish. Although it originAted in Ireland by the British , it is not actually a dish the Irish ate.

 I was surprised to learn that cows were a sacred animal and the only time they were eaten was when they were old. Instead, they ate pork. The rashers (or bacon) are a beautiful cut of pork belly that is really hard to find in the US. 

Apparently in the 19th century the British were well known for their insatiable appetite for beef. Ireland basically became their cattle playground. They created the first Irish salted beef using salt crystals the size of corn kernels amd wa la! We have corned beef. 

Despite Iteland being a destination specifically for the corned beef, due to the oppressive laws the British imposed on the country, and more specifically, the Catholic inhabitants, they just couldn't afford it until after the famine when they lived in areas that were flooded with cattle lowering the price. 

Being in the US and finally being able to afford beef and not having access to the pork they were used to, they began eating corned beef and cabbage. 

It is now mostly known as am American-Irish dish. It has in fact, changed over the last 200 years but the concept is the same. 

My husband was in this country for 5 years before even bothering to try it lol. It is NOT my favorite dish, but now that I know what the original cut of beef it came from, we just might have to attempt to make it!

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/is-corned-beef-really-irish-2839144/

Irish Genocide/Famine

Did you know...

In 1845 Ireland suffered from An Górta Mór or The Great Hunger. Most know it as the potato famine that brought so many Irish to American shores. 

The potato crops were heavily relied on as a staple food source because the Irish were not allowed to hunt and fish under British laws. If someone was Catholic (90% of the Republic is Catholic) they were not allowed to own land. The land was held by a small amount of protestant Irish and Englishmen. Between these two it kept the Irish in poverty and unable to get ahead. 

After a series of failures the crop fell hard to a disease that reportedly came from the Americas.  During this time 1 MILLION people died, mostly due to starvation. Another 1 million left the country. Often those who left would be on what was known as "coffin ships" because at least 1/3 died by the time they arrived at their destination. 

Most people do not go beyond this to know that there was in fact plenty of food in Ireland. The exportation of this food to England actually increased during the famine. The Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel managed to repeal the Corn Laws (laws that made corn and bread so expensive no one could actually afford them) but he was defeated at reelection because of it. The new government put Sir Charles Trevelyan in charge of the relief effort. Instead of helping, he actually LIMITED help very vocally believing that “the judgement of God sent the calamity to teach the Irish a lesson”.

It is now widely believed that the British leaders with prejudices against the Irish took full advantage of the potato famine and conducted a genocide of the people they had tried to break and dominate for so long. 

Ireland's population has never fully recovered from this event. 

https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/parliamentandireland/overview/the-great-famine/

http://www.irishhistorylinks.net/History_Links/IrishFamineGenocide.html

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/immigration/irish-potato-famine

IRISH LANGUAGE 

Did you know...

That Ireland has two OFFICIAL languages? One is English and the other is Gaelic, but if you know anyone who speaks it, it is referred to as just Irish. Yes, they will correct you. "Is that Gaelic? Oh you mean Irish?..."

As of 2017 39% of the country CAN speak Irish, but only a small percentage use it as their primary language and on a daily basis. 

It is mostly spoken in Counties Galway (49%), Clare (45.9%), Cork (44.9%), and Mayo (43.9). Many of these places are located within what is called the Gaeltacht. This means that it is a government recognized part of Ireland that primarily speaks Irish. 

If you want to experience a bit of it go to Ireland and do the "Gaeltacht Experience". Or you could go to your local Irish bar, especially during big events. The Galway Bay Irish Pub tends to draw those who can speak it. Wanna see if you can hear a bit? Check out the concert on Thursday. Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones are coming and they out the Irish from all over ;)

So the next time someone mentions Ireland's language try not to gape with your mouth open and say "Huh? I just thought it was English with an accent." Know that it is a real and lovely language and getting stronger all the time.

(Sign can be purchased at Carroll's Irish Gifts)