The sun was shining on the streets of New York City as Ireland’s unofficial home-away-from-home celebrated its 251st St. Patrick’s Day. Revellers from all types of nationalities flocked to the city to join in on the party.
Penn Station became a flood of green early in the day as people from different states travelled in to join the parade, or to just head to one of New York City’s numerous Irish pubs.
33rd between 6th and 7th was a prime location for any party-goer. With a line of Irish bars (Feile, Stout and Blarney Rock), picking one was the hardest decision of the day for many.
Hoping to curb unruly crowds, Blarney Rock made the decision to boost their age of admittance to 23 years old.
Feile was a comfortable choice, a safe distance from the madness of Fifth Avenue during the parade, but still close enough to feel a part of the celebrations.
A few avenues away, Fifth Avenue filled with people to view the parade. Counties, Irish dancers, bag pipers and more marched up the green line as so many have in years past.
The parade culminated at the famed St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue.
"Today is a day to celebrate all things Irish and that means we have a lot to celebrate," NYC Mayor Bloomberg told reporters following the traditional St. Patrick’s Day mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Despite efforts from groups like the Sober St. Patrick’s Day organizers, and several media outlets who called for an end to the stereotypical and often demeaning depictions of Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, drunks donning kitschy outfits were, as always, out in force in the city.
Green headbands, tshirts, pants, anything really seemed to take over the city. While some remained respectfully demure, others were unnecessarily gaudy, proving that yet again, St. Patrick’s Day has morphed from a celebration of an Irish saint and Ireland’s culture, to a party day for people to get drunk whilst wearing anything and everything green.
Which begs the question - will the stereotyping ever be removed from St. Patrick’s Day? By the looks of it, no, it won’t. As an Irish-American who has spent time in Ireland, including two St. Patrick’s Days in Dublin, I can say I’ve seen both sides of the fence.
In both Ireland and America, people from all walks of life join in on the celebrations of March 17th. Some choose to wear green, some choose to get drunk, and then, some don’t. Irish or not. To say that, in this day and age, that it’s only the Irish who are getting drunk on St. Patrick’s Day would be flat out wrong. If anything, it’s time for the general population to realize that St. Patrick’s Day isn’t solely celebrated by the Irish, nor will it ever be as emigration from Ireland continues to scatter Irish-born around the world.
It’s important to note that while St. Patrick’s Day gets a bad rap for it’s associations with drinking, it’s far from the only holiday that encourages a visit to the bar. New Year’s Eve, Halloween, Fourth of July, all see people perhaps overindulge in regards to alcohol.
I don’t agree with the marketing of shirts and caps that have the now infamous “Irish Yoga” scrawled across them, nor obviously the “Blow Me I’m Irish” tshirts being sold at Spencer’s. Attacking the Irish or not, these products are in shockingly bad taste, begging to be criticized.
But people choosing to have fun in order to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day - by drinking (responsibly, of course. I’m a fan of the pub but not of drunken fools) or wearing green, should be embraced. After all, everything is okay in moderation.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.IrelandNorth | Apr 05, 2012, 08:41 AM EDT
The Big Apple/An Ulla Mor. New York/Nua Eabhrach should be renamed New Cork/Corcaigh Nua. To paraphrase Monty Python in The Life of Bryan: "What did the old Yorker's (small applers) ever do for us?" But, leave it to the Yanks everytime. The home of the real Irish.
oliviadeoyl | Mar 19, 2012, 07:45 PM EDT
I am mad as Hell. All the media had the Parade going up to 86th St.this year unlike last year. I wrote a note to our Grammar School Alumni Assoc. to inform them that we all could meet at the usual site between 80th&81st. When my cousin and I arrived we were informed that the Parade was ending at 79th St. All the people from 86th had to move south, that is 7 blocks of full of parade goers on both sides of 5th Ave. Needless to say it was a huge mess. I strongly protest to again ignoring the importance of the Irish American Historical Society and the sneeky and underhanded way is was done. I suspect our Mayor guilty of this deceit and am not sorry he'll be out office soon. Where is the protest to this? Maggie
PatriciaMarya | Mar 19, 2012, 05:14 PM EDT
One correction: the Parade does not culminate at St. Patrick's Cathedral; that is at Rockefeller Center locale midtown. The Parade goes up to past the Irish Historical Society across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and that is above 79th Street! The steps of the Museum are always a great viewing place, not the steps of St. Patrick's! Who is doing your fact-checking?
Stiofain | Mar 19, 2012, 02:34 PM EDT
WRITING ASSIGNMENT: What is the woman to the left of "Greenbeard" thinking?..."And, to think, I married him!"
snakehips | Mar 19, 2012, 01:21 PM EDT
Hey, since we are talking about alcohol, what about the drunks participating in Spring Break, what about the substance abuse billion dollar industry in the US? Hardly an Irish thing I would think. I believe that American- Irish are no more or less drunks than the rest of the population. Kill the bigotry that we seem to hold onto for dear life in this country.
Seanmor | Mar 19, 2012, 10:41 AM EDT
The 2nd last paragraph states: "To say ...that's its only the Irish that are getting drunk on St. Patrick'd Day would be flat out wrong", and that is very true. On a St. Patrick's Day in the mid-90s, a reported for one of the major NYC stations approached a teenaged girl who was gulping down bear from a can and said: I see you're enjoying your drink but you don't look Irish". This was the response of the tipsy teen: "No, I'm German, but I eat lots of pizza on Columbus Day and I drink lots of beer on St. Patrick's Day". Speaking of boozing at the parade and other Irish Abstinence Association had branches in several parished throughout the city. For a decade or more this respectable temperance organigation proudly marched up the Avenue bearing a beautiful banner that represented their committment to sobriety. This conspicious grout reflected dignity, respectability, honor on themselves and on the whole Irish community. But in some circles, its members were sometimes the subject of contempt and ridicule.
Murph46 | Mar 19, 2012, 10:07 AM EDT
Bet McSorley's was jumping!