The Kara James Experience

Here we are again.  March 17th.  St. Patrick’s Day.    If you happen to be Irish or perhaps you know someone who is Irish, or maybe you once consumed a bowl of Lucky Charms or owned a K-Tel copy of  The Unicorn by the Irish Rovers, it doesn’t matter.  You’re officially indoctrinated into the fold.  Grab something green and get ready. Somewhere, close by, there’s a party going on.

The holiday, which began as a purely Christian feast day, has become an internationally recognized celebration of the entire Irish culture!  Yep, it’s all about the green, the leprechauns, the shamrocks and of course, a whole lot of green beer.   I’m not sure when the transition happened, but somewhere along the way, it became less about this Patrick dude and more about an excuse to get out to the local watering hole and kick up your heel to an Irish jig or two.

Friends of mine, are already preparing for the festivities – ready to leave work early and hit the pub around noon.  Yes, I said noon.  Oh, there will be giant green felt hats, sparkly green vests and if you’re lucky, a shillelagh to poke those around you who dare not to wear green.

This is a day for everyone, regardless of ethnic background to get together and celebrate.   It doesn’t matter what religion we follow or what colour we happen to be.  On St. Patrick’s day, we’re all one colour.  Umm, which colour?  One guess.

In Chicago, 40 pounds of vegetable dye are poured into the river on March 17th to transform it to a lovely emerald shade.

Places as far removed as Argentina and South Korea are celebrating on March 17th.  Everywhere you look, that little tiny leprechaun has scampered his way into all the restaurants, bars and frat houses from here to New Zealand – looking for his pot of gold.  What will he find?  A whole lot of drunk people.

Parades take over the streets in cities all around the globe including Montreal – where they’ve been lining the streets with green wearing Montrealers since 1824.  (Take a look at Montreal’s flag – what’s that in the bottom right hand corner?)

Hey, it’s all in good fun.  Get out and be amongst friends  if you can.  It’s a time to kick back, let loose and grab some of that luck of the Irish.

There’s one tradition though, that I’d like to change.  Let’s lose the leprechaun.  It’s creepy, and overdone.  Since that ridiculous movie with a young and big-nosed Jennifer Aniston, the idea of a Leprechaun is neither cute or lucky.  I say we come up with a new St. Patrick’s  Day icon.

My vote?   Colm Meany.  He’s in every Irish movie I can think of, isn’t he?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Colm Meany.

Wherever you are.