Tomorrow 17th March is St Patrick’s Day , the Patron Saint of Ireland who was actually not Irish but stolen from a beach in Wales by Pirates who enslaved him in the Emerald Isle. The young clover or shamrock was used by Patrick to explain the Trinity , three leaves in one and three persons in one in Christianity which he help spread across Ireland in the 5th Century.
Below is the other symbol synonymous with Ireland and that of the pint of Guinness brewed in Dublin by the family of the same name. Today it is drunk mainly in the UK but the second largest nation drinking it is Nigeria. In the 1960’s the brewers advertised’ Black is Beautiful’ and the drink took off ( I have had a few in Lagos at their Country Club ) and some say the Lagos brew is better than Dublin . Ireland is in some ways a sad story with a population of 8.5million on the eve of the 1845 famine today its population is only circa 5 million. I know 1 million died and I million went to the USA where in Florida in 1600 the first St Patrick’s Day was celebrated.
I am proud to be Irish and can boast of their economic success having benefited immensely from their being part of the European Union and not outside like their largest trading partners Britain . Whilst Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland he let the Celtic Tiger roam in the period 1985 to 2009 when a bale out of over €100b was needed to avoid ruin post the Great Financial Crisis. Now they have a €6b budget surplus and the sharks are no longer in the Liffey ( below ) the river that flows through Dublin.
Black is truly Beautiful and Green is truly Gorgeous for the shades of green across Ireland are so captivating and hence it is the Emerald Isle. They have the best Rugby Team in the world and are going to beat today those other Celts Scotland to win the 6 Nations Tournament.
Tomorrow we will hear renditions of Danny Boy and When Irish Eyes are smiling to stir all our emotions. In the USA I was caught speeding by Officer O’Neil once and was let go when I showed my Irish passport. In Ireland I was stopped speeding only to tell the officer I didn’t have an Irish Driving Licence. ‘ ok ‘ said the officer ‘ you’ll get three points on it when you get one ‘. I am yet to apply. The Irish were always regarded in derogatory terms and in the 1950s London homes for rent were advertised’ No Blacks, No Irish , No Dogs ‘. It was offensive of course and today that racism would be crucified. Shame on those of course but every dog has its day.
In Beijing I saw the greatest St Patrick’s Day Parade ever and in the most alcohol consuming nation in the world the pint of Guinness is a favourite. The Chinese aren’t stupid. As a nation Ireland has great prospect and if the shortage of housing can be conquered. Meantime the shackles of the Roman Catholic Church have loosened yet no contraception is no longer the issue as the birth rate there is declining rapidly at 1.61 per female.
Ireland needs more sex , more housing and less Guinness perhaps. There are over 30 Million Americans of Irish descent and circa 400,000 in Britain and if only some were to return the population could easily grow. The flag shares the same colours as India and Ireland has like Britain had an Indian Leader, Prime Minister or Taoiseach.
God Bless Ireland and enjoy your Paddy’s Day wherever you are in the world.
qbitblogger 