Why oh why do we celebrate St Patrick's Day?

Posted Thursday, March 22, 2007, 4:25 PM
by Lonely Planet
Fionn Davenport gets philosophical (has a rant?) in Dublin...I don't like parades, and I couldn't care less about floats or fireworks. Watching Dublin's St Patrick's Parade I couldn't help but wonder what the hell we were all doing. What is St Patrick's Day really all about? We're not celebrating an event in Irish history - nothing tidy like a day of independence or the birth or death of a founding father. We're not celebrating St Patrick himself - a Welshman who may not have existed at all. Nor are we celebrating Christianity or anything to do with religion - we do plenty of that at Easter and Christmas. So what's it all about? Irishness? What the hell is that? Are we celebrating the 'qualities' that define us as Irish? If so, What the hell are they? Friendliness, loving a laugh, the craic? Jesus Christ, I hope not. We are, after all, a nation, not a stand-up routine. Ask any of the other half-million lining the parade route; I wager you wouldn't get a consistent answer out of them. One thing struck me though: the sheer number of recently arrived immigrants at the parade, most of them totally gung ho for the whole spectacle. Maybe St Patrick's Day has most meaning for them; a way of celebrating their new home and, in some small way, aiding what must be a pretty tough assimilation. That's a pretty good reason to have a parade.
Three other Lonely Planet authors were in Ireland this St Patrick's Day...

London I am coming

Two days ago, Joey told me that the return tickets to London was just 6 euros for each adult. It made me excited, I said: "Go! Why not!!" Then we booked the air tickets and hotel. And I applied the re-entry visa. But there is no time for me to apply a UK visa. All I can do is to hope there is still no custom at Luton airport.

God bless me!!

Bad kids

Time flying! I have stayed in Dublin for almost a month. Everything is ok. People are nice here especially the elderly gentlemen. They are real gentlemen. Just one thing make me upset, that is kids.
One night, I went home after class. A boy passed me and said: fuck u yellow ground! I felt so bad. In China, I was a teacher, my students are very friendly to me. But the teenagers here:(
Another day is worse! Joey and I went home, its in Friday afternoon. When we got off from bus, some boys threw eggs to us! Fortunately, Joey is tall and strong, he scared them away. I we both short and slim, whats the result? I guess eggs everywhere on my body.
Kids should be protected, because they are weaker than adults. But they should obey some rules too. They cant do whatever they want, thats would be in a mess!