America's Saint Patrick's Day Caricature vs Character

March 17th Saint Patrick's Day American style.  A holiday known for parades, "kiss me I'm Irish buttons",  shamrocks painted on faces, lots and lots of green beer.  A day when everyone is Irish.  I was on the phone with my cousin in Dublin many years ago and he said: "are you drinking any of that green beer Tim?"  In Ireland they were just starting to celebrate American style for the tourist's sake, to make money.  Don't get me wrong back in the day I could drink green beer, sing the first verse of Danny Boy, hum the second, and throw up for the third.  American Irish we call ourselves Irish, to the Irish we are American.  The history and the great writings, music and performance, from a beautiful people who are survivors, story tellers, a creative and political force in many way deserves better.  I have fond memories of family functions with my parents and their friends singing away, I have been blessed to meet my linage and history and still amazed by the journey of the Irish.  Nothing wrong with raising a glass, ( water in my case) but it is the history that needs to be celebrated, not the caricatures and drunken Irish for a day.  timothymahar.org