Stop pretending to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day

So, St. Patrick’s Day is nearly upon us. You know, the day where all of the proud ‘Irish people’ come crawling out of the woodwork. Everyone seems to proclaim an undying love for the Emerald Isle, despite not really caring the other 364 days of the year. Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t celebrate St. Paddy’s Day at all, I mean, it’s a great excuse for a booze up…

But it’s funny how many people wake up on the 17^th of March and greet the first person they meet with ‘ah top of the morning to ya’ in an Irish lilt that definitely wasn’t there yesterday.

It all comes out on St Paddy’s day.

I must admit, I am guilty of this. Having Irish grandparents and a very Irish surname, I do feel a certain connection to Ireland, and therefore feel quite justified in celebrating St Paddy’s. When I last went to Dublin, I drank Guinness when I went out, you know – to try and fit in. Except I stuck out like a sore thumb. All the authentic Irish fellas took the piss out of me, until I muttered something about having Irish relatives and I was totally forgiven for pretending to like Guinness. It turns out I’m not alone, other slightly Irish people always feel like this too.

Not very tasty.

But where’s this patriotism on St. George’s Day? It’s just not the same. Here in England we have St. Patrick’s Day parades, parties, club events, costumes, you name it. But St. George’s Day? Most people can’t even remember what day it’s on. I couldn’t tell you when it is now. There always just seems to be that added celebratory feeling for St Paddy’s day all because people love to pretend they’re Irish. Just stop and enjoy the day for what it is. Maybe if we had a Bank Holiday for our National Day like Ireland and Scotland do, we might feel more inclined to all go out celebrating. If we make such a big deal out of St. Patrick’s Day, surely we should do the same for St. George’s?

Celebrating the Irish mood.

So it seems those with even the remotest connection to Ireland like to go all out and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in true Irish style. And given that this typically involves alcohol flowing, hilarious costumes and general good spirit – why the hell not? Just please refrain from publicising your terribly fake accents and claiming to be a true Irish citizen when you’ve never even visited the place. It’s not funny – just enjoy the day and night for what it is.