Visit our special St. Patrick's Day section for news, traditions, recipes, history and "craic"
They may charm us with their clever wit year round, but St. Patrick’s Day usually takes the cake when listening to our Irish parents.
Here are some things typically heard from Irish parents on March 17th.
1. "Get up, we’ll be late for Mass!"
Ahem, Saint Patrick’s Day.
2. "How many sausages do you want?"
Long day ahead! Better line the stomach with a full Irish fry.
3. "Now, you do know who St. Patrick was, right?..."
Many Irish parents take the time on March 17th to explain St. Patrick’s importance to the history of Catholicism in Ireland. Yes they do.
4. "Ah, bring your jacket for the parade, you’ll freeze!"
Irish parents are never the ones to let their wee ones go cold, especially in unseasonably warm weather like 70 degrees this week.
Visit our special St. Patrick's Day section for news, traditions, recipes, history and "craic"
5. "Did you see that one marching?"
She’s your father’s cousin’s husband’s sister’s aunt …
Everyone knows everyone in the Irish community; throw them all together in a parade and it becomes a sea of cousins!
6. "Jesus, it’s Galway, not Gaaaaalway."
American accents aren’t always so kind to Irish pronunciations, and most native Irish are never shy to point out.
7. "We’ll just pop in for a pint."
Which, of course, means an hours-long session at the local pub. Guinness, anyone?
8. "Corned beef and cabbage isn’t even Irish!"
The meal typically served on St. Patrick’s Day isn’t considered Irish by irish from Ireland. Opt instead for some spuds and beef stew -- that’ll keep ‘em happy..
9. "Will I put on the kettle?"
As if this is even a matter of discussion after a day parading and pubbing! Typical response Where’s the advil mom?
10. "Good craic, in fairness"
Yes, we had a great time. Reflect on the day spent with family and friends until the wee hours of the morning.
Got any more to add to the list?
Visit our special St. Patrick's Day section for news, traditions, recipes, history and "craic"
18 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.katiedarling | Mar 15, 2012, 09:14 AM EDT
Not offended here either. Just... guilty as charged, especially on the corned beef issue!
ancavker | Mar 13, 2012, 10:08 AM EDT
Kerry: I apologize for all the uptight people who have commented. It was a fun article, nothing offensive in it at all.
johnymac60 | Mar 13, 2012, 10:06 AM EDT
In the name of God, people grab a bit of sense! The article is obviously intended to be a bit of fun. if you come to this site and read it often enough, there are plenty of things to complain and protest about, but if you are protesting about this you must have too much time on your hands. Kerry, I apologise for all the twits making a fuss over your piece. I appreciate it for what it is - a gentle fun-poking at my expense, and my kids delight!
Peterman | Mar 12, 2012, 10:36 PM EDT
Mannn.here we go, every year some knucklehead who thinks he/she knows it all says "corned beef and cabbage isn't even eaten by the Irish." You know what? Who gives a frogs fat arse what the Irish eat on 3/17. All I know is Irish AMERICANS eat corned beef and cabbage on Saint Patrick's Day because this poor cut of meat is what our humble, bold, and brave ancestors ate when they came to North America. They were damn happy to get any meat at all too since many were too weak from starvation to even get off the often disease infested boat. So to all Irish AMERICANS and even Canadians, eat your Corned Beef and Cabbage and remember they didn't always throw parades for us, they used to come after our ancestors with pitch forks and burn our Churches down.
seanomelb | Mar 12, 2012, 05:58 PM EDT
Kerry O Shame is full of it she is a typical plastic Irish git with a 24hr. use by date(17th. of march).
GeorgeDillon | Mar 12, 2012, 04:11 PM EDT
Bythebay "Is Kerry O'Shea related to James O'Shea, another writer for Irish Central????". No. Kerry O' Shea's mother was Kitty O'Shea.
jacersagain | Mar 12, 2012, 03:37 PM EDT
That bad word gives me a chance to tell yez one to share on Patrick’s Day. Paddy had been drinking at his local Dublin pub all day and most of the night celebrating St Patrick's Day. Mick, the kindly bartender says, 'I don’t think you should be drinking anymore tonight, Paddy!’ 'OK Mick’ says Paddy, I better be on my way then'. Paddy spins around on his stool, steps off and falls flat on his face. 'Shoite!' he says pulling himself up by the stool and dusting himself off. He takes a step towards the door and falls flat on his face again, bloodying his nose. 'Shoite, Shoite!’ he says under his breath. He looks to the doorway and thinks to himself that if he can just get to the door and some fresh air he'll be fine. He belly crawls to the door and shimmies up to the door frame. He sticks his head outside and takes a deep breath of fresh air, feels much better and takes a step out onto the sidewalk and falls flat, smashing his face on the pavement, more blood. ‘Geeze I'm fecked' he says. He can see his house just a few doors down the street and crawls to the door, hauls himself up the door frame, opens the door and shimmies inside... He takes a look up the stairs and says 'Aw geeze! No feckin' way' but he crawls up the stairs to his bedroom door, hauls himself up by the door handle and says 'I can make it to the bed'. He takes a step into the room and again falls flat on his face, all bloodied now. 'Shoite! Shoite! Aw feckit feckit feckit!' he says as he hauls himself up once more and collapses into bed. The next morning, his wife, Jess, comes into the room carrying a cup of coffee. 'Wake up Paddy’ she says as she opens the curtains. ‘I see you had a good bit to drink last night.' Paddy wipes the dried blood off his face and says 'Geeze I did, Jess. I was feckin' pissed. How did I get in such a mess??' Jess says 'Mick phoned... You left your wheelchair at the pub.'
citizen69 | Mar 12, 2012, 02:15 PM EDT
Another brain numbingly Sh**e article!
ILiveInCork | Mar 12, 2012, 02:00 PM EDT
Ok, to the writer of this article and everyone associating Guinness to Irishness or Patricks Day is victim of one of the most impressive marketing campaigns lead by the company. Arthur Guinness opposed Irish independence as he was afraid he would be made pay export duty to England (not very patriotic putting your business before national interest?) he was also a staunch protestant(hence having enough wealth to create the largest stout brewery) and also always sided with factory owners and landlords in fighting and labor and land movements for poor catholic workers and farm laborers contributing to the social conditions which mean most Irish Americans ancestors having to emigrate and the families they left behind dying of "poverty" diseases and starvation. So can the writer of this article give me any reason why an anti Irish independence campaigner, protestant, wealthy brewery owners product has anything to do with the patron saint of Irelands catholic holiday and the republic of Irelands national holiday? Oh ya and a brief point St. Patrick was not just the man who brought the word of God to Ireland but the Countries patron saint which in tradition with most European countries the feast day of your patron saint is also your countries national holiday so you commemorate the saint AND your country on the same day, so the 17th here in Ireland will be a bank holiday not just for Catholics to go to mass but also to celebrate our country. So catholism doesn't have 100% claim on the day there will be a celebration of our independence struggle so its like the way ye celebrate all things U.S.A. on the 4th of July, and then in the evening streets lined with drunken people and take away wrappers like you have never seen in every town and city the stretch of Ireland
Bangor46 | Mar 12, 2012, 01:52 PM EDT
P.S. Neither of my parents drank, nor do I. I know that will shock some Americans!!
Bangor46 | Mar 12, 2012, 01:51 PM EDT
Stars and Stripes is well off the mark! In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is and always has been a "holy day of obligation" meaning that Catholics are obliged to attend Mass. My favorite memory is wearing a clump of shamrocks on my good coat as I went off to church with my mother and siblings. Never heard of corned beef and cabbage until I came to the U.S.
ancavker | Mar 12, 2012, 01:06 PM EDT
bythebay: What exactly is demeaning in any of these comments?
pilib04 | Mar 12, 2012, 11:47 AM EDT
Ok, ok, I admit to most the above comments.
ancavker | Mar 12, 2012, 11:01 AM EDT
It is all in good fun,so relax. And I say it to my own kids.
hermitTalker | Mar 12, 2012, 10:37 AM EDT
ARE happy, not ate above. Go ro mo leath-sceal, mea culpa.
hermitTalker | Mar 12, 2012, 10:34 AM EDT
I wonder how many ate happy that you dismiss the day as a HOLY observance of the saint, and one to commemorate the price paid for the Faith iat home and its powerful influence worldwide especially compared to the small numbers on the island. Then your snide comments about boozing, perpetuating the false understanding of the irish culture. especially today when the Irish North and South and the Government of the UK are quite concerned about the huge cost of alcholism in health, domestic violence, fights and absenteeism. Same in the USA with binge drinking and kids atarting with booze and sex at age 8/9. Mass attendance and prayer and family values might be a helpful part of the antidote to the epidemic. Then St Patrick's Day could help redeem the sick culture all round.
jfoynyc | Mar 12, 2012, 10:20 AM EDT
Why do Irish Central sometimes undermine respect for Ireland? O'Shea's article is fine but does it need that title? Let's have some editing that will eliminate one's hesitation to share articles.
Stripes&Stripes | Mar 12, 2012, 09:59 AM EDT
On point No.1 - originally this festival was in honour of a saint - Patrick, to be precise, who is credited (along with the missionary Palladius) with bringing Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century. Somewhere along the line this fact got lost in the green and booze. It was never a 'holiday of obligation' as it is known in the Church (ie. obligatory mass attendance) However when I was a child, St.Patrick's day always meant going to mass in honour of the saint, which seems quite appropriate. It was also a tradition that it almost always rained, which might explain point No.4. There was also always a traditional parade that was more 'lively funeral' than carnivalesque in atmosphere. Since then I'm afraid I grew up to see that it has become an embarrassing drink-fest from which I distance myself. It might be better altogether to give the saint a new day and let the 17th be re-named 'national drinks day' or something. By the way, despite popular belief, Guinness is not the most popular drink in this country (it's Murphys anyway if you're from Cork), a drink which reminds me of the taste of damp cardboard flavoured with bovril. Much more lager is consumed these days.