Why Saint Patrick’s Day is so Important in the US
Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, so why do Americans party even harder than the Irish on St Patrick’s Day? It’s true! All around the US, you’ll see parades, pipers, and the color green, folks dressed up as leprechauns, alarmingly green beer and people celebrating and exchanging traditional gifts for St Patrick’s day. In Chicago, they even dye the river green! Meanwhile, in New York, about 2 million people congregate for the celebration – a far bigger crowd than you’d find in Dublin, Ireland.
Why all this festivity to mark the death of an Irish saint? If you ask most Americans, they’ll say it isn’t really about him at all! It’s simply a celebration of Irish heritage, and it’s not only those who can claim Irish descent who join the fun.
The Irish Diaspora
Irish people have emigrated for a variety of reasons over the centuries, but the really big Irish diaspora occurred in the 1800s and was triggered by a devastating potato blight. The potato had, by this time, become a staple food in Ireland, and for ordinary Irish people the blight meant that they were faced with starvation – unless they could move elsewhere. It’s estimated that around one million people died of starvation, and over 1.5 million Irish left the country. Most of them ended up in the US.
But emigration itself was risky. Ships ferrying timber to the UK were happy to take human cargo back with them, but they weren’t equipped for passengers, and those with the cheap “steerage” tickets endured awful conditions at sea. The trip was so bad, that many people died before reaching their destination, and the ships earned the nickname “coffin ships” because so many people died during the journey.
If they expected to be welcomed with open arms in the US, the Irish were to be disappointed. The immigrants, most of whom were uneducated and poverty-stricken, were seen as “undesirables.” Employers would go so far as to state that they wouldn’t employ Irish applicants when advertising jobs, and some buildings even had signage forbidding Irish people entry.
The Irish Prove Their Worth
At first, discrimination against the Irish was so bad that all they could rely on were each other and their religion. They lived in “ghettos” and those in the community who could afford it clubbed together to build their own schools and churches. But an issue other than Irish immigration would soon give them an opportunity to prove their worth in their new home country: the American Civil war.
Many Irish Catholics enlisted in the Union Army, fighting bravely and earning respect. By the time the war ended, much of the discrimination against the Irish had ended too. Industrialization meant better jobs, and with more money on hand, families were able to pay for their children’s education. By 1900, very few Irish men were unskilled, and in 1960, John F Kennedy, a descendant of Irish immigrants, became president of the United States.
America Celebrates Irish Cultural Roots
Having distinguished themselves in every sphere of society, the Irish are now viewed with great respect in the United States. The celebration of St Patrick’s day, either at home, or at public events, marks an occasion when Americans can come together to mark the vital contribution to American culture that came with the Irish diaspora. It’s perhaps the only “saint’s day” other than St Valentine’s Day that’s celebrated by people of every religion, heritage and color, and as for those with Irish heritage, there’s even more to celebrate as they look back on their turbulent history and American success story.
