OntheWilderSide

We are on the e-mail list for Larry Kirwan and the band Black 47. Below is the St. Patrick’s Day message they sent around this week. We thought it was beautiful and inspiring. (Note that Black 47 will be playing in New York City on the day of the big parade, Saturday, March 16th.)

Saint Patrick’s Day Message
from Black 47

On one day a year, they congregated outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral off Prince Street in New York City and marched in celebration. To some of these immigrant Irish and their American born children it was a religious occasion, but to most the gathering was an affirmation of their right, not only to survive but to thrive in their adopted country. That’s what I sense on St. Patrick’s Day – an echo from a time when the Irish were despised outsiders. And that’s why I go along with the raucous energy, the excitement and even the green beer, the plastic shamrocks and the ubiquitous leprechaun.

I didn’t always feel that way. When I arrived from Ireland, these manifestations of Irish-America were at best embarrassing. Back home, our own celebrations were rigid and religious; we did sport actual sprigs of shamrock but there was no beer, green or otherwise on this gloomy church holiday. The Parade up Fifth Avenue and the ensuing bacchanal seemed downright pagan by comparison. Read more »

Filed under: Holidays, immigration, music, News, progressive politics, social & economic justice, US Politics | Tagged: Black 47, Irish American, Larry Kirwan, nyc events, NYC music, Saint Patrick's Day | 1 Comment »