St. Patrick's Day

     Today is St. Patrick's Day, and it is a day of celebration throughout the island of Ireland (both in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland).

     Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland - one of the four patron saints of the British – or Anglo-Celtic – Isles (with the other ones being St. Andrew for Scotland, St. David for Wales, and St. George for England).

St. Patrick as depicted on a stained-glass window in the Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, California.  Image Credit: Sicarr via Wikimedia Commons cc

     He was born somewhere in Roman Britain (likely Wales) to a wealthy Romano-British family, whose members were strong and faithful Christians. Patrick himself however, was not an active believer in his early years. At the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates who took him into slavery in Ireland, where he worked as a shepherd for the next six years. It was during Patrick's time in captivity that he experienced a spiritual awakening and developed a true relationship with God, which eventually led him to escape and return home to his family in Britain. There, he studied Christianity, became a priest, and returned to Ireland as a missionary.

     It was in Ireland that Saint Patrick become known for converting the Irish people from polytheistic paganism to monotheistic Christianity, and supposedly used the shamrock to teach the concept of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost). It is said that St. Patrick spent several years evangelizing in what is now Northern Ireland and succeeded on converting "thousands" of people. He is also considered the first Bishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland.

The three-leaf clover representing the Holy Trinity. Image Credit: George McFinnigan via Wikimedia Commons cc

     It is not known what year St. Patrick died, but he is generally considered have died on March 17, which resulted in the day being named in his honor. He may not have been responsible for converting all of Ireland to Christianity, but he is credited for starting the process, and has been Ireland's patron-saint since around the 7th Century.

     St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated for centuries throughout Ireland and Great Britain. It is a celebration of Irish Christianity (in both the Catholic and Protestant traditions), as well as Irish culture and heritage in general. Public parades and festivals, the wearing of green attire and shamrocks, and church services are hallmarks of most St. Patrick's Day celebrations. There is also céilithe (a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing) and the lifting of Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol for the day, which has resulted in the infamous tradition of consuming alcohol.

Saint Patrick's Saltire

     However, it was not until the 1903 that St. Patrick's Day became a public holiday in Ireland, thanks to the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act, which was passed by the UK Parliament when all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. It remains a holiday in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and large festivities are held in Dublin, Cork, and Galway in the ROI and in Belfast, Downpatrick, and Derry/Londonderry in NI. Outside of Dublin, the largest celebrations on the island of Ireland take place in Downpatrick, the city where the revered patron saint is supposedly buried at Down Cathedral.

     In mainland Britain, Birmingham is home to the largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the country, whilst London has held its own parade since 2002. Manchester hosts a two-week Irish festival leading up to the day itself, and the Irish tricolor flies opposite of the Union Jack above the town hall. Other celebrations take place in Glasgow, Liverpool, and Coatbridge - which have large populations of people with Irish backgrounds.

HRH The Duke of Cambridge and Baron Carrickfergus, Colonel of the Irish Guards. Image Credit: Carfax2 via Wikimedia Commons cc

     The Royal family also does its bit to celebrate one of the patron-saints of the British Isles. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother used to present bowls of shamrock flown over from Ireland to members of the Irish Guards - a regiment of the British Army - whose members largely hail from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

     In recent years since their marriage, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Baron and Lady Carrickfergus) have attended the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire with the Irish Guards, whose Colonel is Prince William. The Duchess of Cambridge continues the royal tradition of having a senior female member of the Royal family present shamrocks to members of the Guards (including their Irish Wolfhound mascot), which was begun by Queen Alexandra - wife of Edward VII - in 1901.

     In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day is not a federal holiday, but there nevertheless is a strong tradition of celebrating it, especially in towns and cities with significant Irish or Irish-descent populations. The first public observance was organized by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston in 1737, and it involved a worship service and a special dinner.

     Since then, such observances have included large festive seasons with parades, feasts, and religious services. New York City is usually home to the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade, not only in America, but in the world, and typically features 150,000 marchers lead by the 69th Infantry Regiment of New York and including police and firefighting departments, bands, social and cultural societies, civic and government associations, and several other groups and individuals (including the Mayor of New York) marching up 5th Avenue for five hours along a mile-and-a-half route with around 2 million spectators.

The United States Coast Guard Band and Pipe Band Proceeding up Fifth Avenue in New York City during a St. Patrick's Day parade. Image Credit: Public Domain (Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay)

     Elsewhere, there are large celebrations and observances in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo, Seattle, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. In Suffolk County, Massachusetts (which includes Boston), the day is officially known by law as Evacuation Day because it commemorates the evacuation of British soldiers from Dorchester Heights following the Siege of Boston during the Revolutionary War, which just happened to fall on St. Patrick’s Day 1776, and the observance of the patron saint’s holiday played a role in the official establishment of the current public holiday.

     In fact, Suffolk County is only one of two places in the United States where St. Patrick’s Day is a legal holiday. The other place is my hometown of Savannah, Georgia.

     The first parade in Savannah is generally recognized as having been organized by the Hibernian Society in 1824. In recent times, the annual parade and celebrations are usually the second largest in the United States after New York and have become globally-recognized – attracting numerous visitors from throughout the country and around the world. In a city with a population of 145,000, anywhere from 500,000 to one million people may participate in the festivities in any given year.

Sailors of the US Navy marching through the streets of Savannah during a St. Patrick's Day parade. Image Credit: Public Domain (Left, Upper Right, Lower Right)

     While the day still has a clear ethnic and religious significance, for most of us who live here (including yours truly), it is a cultural holiday for all to enjoy – white and black, Protestant and Catholic, religious and atheist, etc. – and I must say that as both a participant and spectator, I have yet to encounter hatred or disrespect for any group of people from whatever background. The best part is indeed, the parade, which includes various bands from the city and the surrounding region (especially from local schools), military regiments, social and cultural groups, government and civic organizations, the famous Budweiser Clydesdales, and many other unitsand individuals – some from other parts of the country and overseas.

     The crowds can get to be a bit much for our mid-sized city, but we generally welcome them as our neighbors and friends for the festivities which can spread out over several days, especially if the big day itself falls on or near a weekend. Our historic downtown area buzzes with streams of people getting around and enjoying themselves, particularly on the waterfront facing the Savannah River. Pubs of all kinds – Irish, Scottish, English, Welsh, and all-around British – boom with activity as people tend to gather around for a good time. It is – to say the least – a unique experience to remember.

Throngs of people on River Street in Savannah for St. Patrick's Day.

     Understandably, St. Patrick’s Day is not for everyone for a variety of reasons – sometimes relating to the divide between Catholics and Protestants. However, on the BBC’s website, there is a page containing its archives from previous St. Patrick’s Day observances, with a video (the third one) featuring a reporter asking people on the streets of Belfast in 1978 whether they should get the day off on March 17th.

     Opinions were divided, but at the end of the report, there is a elderly woman who did not explicitly state her view on having the day off. Instead, she acknowledged that St. Patrick was the patron saint, and when pressed on whether he was Protestant or Catholic, she said that “he was neither Protestant, or Catholic, or popery, or anything else”, and that he was simply a man sent by God who loved Ireland – all of it.

     If he were alive in this modern day and age, I’d like to believe that he would extend a hand of friendship to the other patron saints of the British Isles, as well as all people living there - Catholic, Protestant, or whatever else they may be.

     So, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

A Positive Word About Two Nationalists

     With regard to the SNP and its politicians, there is usually not much good I can say about them, for their quest to break up the United Kingdom puts me at odds with them more so than almost any other significant political party in Britain or America.

     However, I do believe in being respectful to people and parties of all kinds, and there are even some cases when I may feel compelled to occasionally say something good about politicians and parties with whom I viscerally disagree.

     Such is the case for Mhairi Black and Pete Wishart of the SNP, and before some of y’all out there start freaking out, please allow me to elaborate.

     Mhairi Black was elected as the MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South in the SNP’s landslide during the general election of 2015 – defeating Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary, Douglas Alexander and becoming the youngest Member of Parliament in over three centuries.

Cracking night in Thurso. Forgot how great public meetings are. Even got to John O'Groats! #SNP16 pic.twitter.com/7PUlOgWYQP

— Mhairi Black MP (@MhairiBlack) October 25, 2015

     The 21-year-old has taken an interest in international issues and in particular, poverty and heath issues in developing countries. She’s also a fan of the band U2 and its lead vocalist Bono (to whom, Alexander is now an adviser), who has been noted for his activism concerning such places, and Africa in particular. One of his anti-poverty organizations, the ONE Campaign, is one that Black has been a member of since she was 14, and earlier this year, she was invited by ONE to see their charity work on display in Kenya.

     While there, she noted the importance of international aid in the effort to combat AIDS and other life-threatening diseases in places such as Kenya, and praised the UK Government for its role in providing critical aid. In one case, she said that the “drugs British aid has funded” is the reason for an HIV-positive woman named Mary along with her children still being alive after her husband had infected and abandoned her.

     Black also said that British aid has been used to help educate people on the basics of things such as the preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and the Daily Record reported that international aid by countries such as Britain has contributed to the significant drops in new infections and disease-related deaths.

     At a time when foreign aid is hotly debated and criticized in the UK – especially with Prime Minister David Cameron’s decision to increase aid outlays to 0.7% of GDP, Black said:

“It’s very rare to find me praising the Government but Britain is one of the better countries in terms of commitment to foreign aid…and having seen the difference it makes to people’s lives, I think it’s highly important that we maintain that level of support.”

UK Aid being delivered in Dubai.  Image Credit: UK Department for International Development via Flickr cc

     Indeed, while it may be rare for Black to saying anything good about the UK Government, the fact is that she did so as a Scottish nationalist who wishes to see the end of Britain. But her willingness to offer praise for the country in its aid commitments across the world is perhaps a sign of political maturity on her part, and even perhaps a small bit of respect for being British.

     Meanwhile, Black’s veteran Commons colleague Pete Wishart has done his own bit to be engaged as person representing the UK while the Union exists with Scotland firmly part of it.

     The MP for Perth and North Perthshire was first elected in 2001, and with his skills as a keyboard player, he joined with other MP’s in 2004 to form the MP4 Band – the world’s only parliamentary rock band. It consists of Wishart, Labour MP Kevin Brennan (guitar and vocals), former Labour MP Ian Cawsey (bass guitar and vocals), and Conservative MP Sir Greg Knight (drums).

     According to their website, the band has:

“helped to raise over £1 million for charity since their first gig in February of [2004]. When the Parliamentary timetable permits, they perform at charitable events around the country and actively encourage young people to take an interest in music.”

     In 12 years, MP4 have performed at many venues both private and public throughout the United Kingdom, and have the distinction of being the first musicians to perform in the 900 year old Westminster Hall – a place steeped in British political history – when they were in concert before over 1,000 MP’s, Peers, and parliamentary staff as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in May 2012. Most recently, they attended the 2016 Brit Awards and functioned as the house band for a special show in London hosted by comedian Matt Forde.

     They have also produced and released two albums (with a third on the way this year) containing a mix of cover pieces and their own original tracks. Their first single on EMI was downloaded by then Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2005.

Did you know that MP4 have helped raise over £1m for charity - receiving an honorary gold disc from the BPI. pic.twitter.com/SF0t3NpBXu

— MP4 Band (@MP4RockBand) January 22, 2016

     In addition, the cross-party band has received numerous awards and accolades, including the title of “Alternative Parliamentary Entertainers” in 2011 and a commemorative disk in 2014 by the British Phonographic Industry – the trade association for the British music recording industry – in recognition for their fund raising efforts and notable contributions to charitable causes including MacMillan Cancer Support. Their work has been praised by David Cameron and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

     Now, they are trying to position themselves as contenders for representing the UK at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, and in a BBC news report featuring the band, Wishart stated that MP4 were “ready and willing…available for the call when it comes to represent Great Britain in the Eurovision Song contest.” He further spoke of the need for “hardened, grizzled old Members of Parliament” as opposed to so many young faces in what he referred to as a “political contest, anyway.”

     So imagine that. A Scottish nationalist MP, a person dedicated to breaking up Britain, has voiced his enthusiasm for representing Britain in the Song Contest.

     Whether or not this actually happens, the very fact that he was willing to utter the words “Great Britain” with apparently some element of pride was quite surprising and made me forget some of his more – putting it mildly – eccentric statements on air, in the press, and especially Twitter. In fact, Wishart has indicated that he himself may not be as hostile to Britishness as many are in his party, and said during the referendum that he believed that independence could “actually reverse the decline of Britishness, a concept that…I feared might eventually go in a devolved Scotland.”

     In this belief from him, there is much skepticism to find, for many us on the pro-Union side believe that Britishness can only survive and thrive with the United Kingdom staying together.

     That being said, it is good to see him in some way embracing Britishness – even if only in a loose sense – with his involvement in the MP4 Band and potentially representing the country on an international stage, instead of sulking in a corner and twiddling his fingers awaiting separation. This good-natured and valued mixing of parliamentarians from throughout Britain is a display of the social and cultural value of the Union – something which has tended to get lost in debates going back-and-forth over numbers, figures, GERS, Barnett, oil, powers exercised by Westminster and Holyrood, etc. - and more needs to be done to encourage and deepen social relationships among the British people.

     At the risk of overstating and making more out of this than there actually is, Mhairi Black’s praise of Britain in providing much-need aid to Africa and Pete Wishart’s role in an all-British parliamentary band perhaps does show even among nationalists, there is some level of appreciation for Britain and being British. If nothing else, they have shown that they are capable for speaking about Britain in positive terms outwith all of the political and constitutional considerations. One hopes that they could see this bigger picture all the time and turn away from separatism, for their talents can be used to help keep the country the together and see itself as one.

     That is not likely to happen, just as I am likely not going to change my stripes. However, their positive outlook on Britain in some areas has led me to write this positive post on them, and I hope that they and many others can see that there’s more to the UK than just (big, bad) Westminster.

A Rush of Blood and an Apology

     There are times when all of us say or do things by the heart without sufficiently consulting the head, and therefore must reflect upon such things and perhaps even apologize for them, which is what happened to me a few days ago.

     On Sunday afternoon, I saw that England had won the Six Nations rugby tournament, and I wanted to send out a congratulatory message on both by Twitter account and my Hands Across the Pond Facebook page. As I was doing so, I found that this achievement was made possible by Scotland defeating France, and because England already was so far in front of France, the Scottish win put the championship out of reach for the French team, and thereby handed it to England.

     Immediately, I saw what I thought was a poetic and positive narrative between England and Scotland as part of the United Kingdom. The fact that Scotland had helped England – even if by happenstance – seemed to be in the spirit of being “better together”, which was the name of campaign to keep the UK together during the Scottish independence referendum. It seemed like a “team effort” to ensure that one of the Home Nations of the UK took home the championship.

     Of course, it was not a team effort – not a deliberate one, at least – but I thought it made for a what I believed was a good narrative, with Scotland winning against France and making England the champion of the tournament.

     So I went ahead with the following tweet (more-or-less):

“UK wins as Scotland defeats France and helps to put England on top to win #SixNations championship. #TeamEffort #BetterTogether #SCOTvsFRANCE”

     On my Facebook page, I shared the post about England winning from the RBS Six Nations page and said:

“Congratulations to the UK as Scotland defeats France to help put England on top to win its first Six Nations championship since 2011! #Team Effort #BetterTogether.”

     The initial reaction on Twitter was positive with several likes, and then I further explained in a new tweet below the original one (which was replicated on the Facebook page):

“Yes, I know the UK did not compete, but I feel that a win for a UK Home Nation is also a win for the UK and when one Home Nation helps the other, it’s sweeter.”

     Then one follower chimed in and warned that this may not go over well with some people with the way that it was worded. I responded (somewhat jokingly) that I believed that I had worded it in such a way that paid respect to both England and Scotland in the outcome of the tournament, and also stated that I would have done the same if it had been the other way around.

     Shortly after that came a couple of negative comments. One came from an individual who takes issue with almost everything I tweet and said that this was of no help for Wales or Ireland (which has a unified team between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland), to which I responded that I would do the same if Wales had “helped” Scotland. Once comment came from a person who tried to claim that Scotland was not part of the UK, and that only England was the UK. I sent him a map clearing showing Scotland as part of the UK, but he did not budge, and so I left him alone.

     Then came a flood of criticism from several people, including from a journalist, accusing me of ignorance, being out of my depth, and not understanding the nature of the separate rugby teams – with particular umbrage being taken that I represented events on Sunday as a “win” for the United Kingdom. There was mockery and people presenting me as some kind of misinformed idiot and/or ignoramus.

     Eventually, I looked at the tweet again and reflected on it. After much thought, I myself came to the conclusion that it came off as insensitive and too triumphalist in the pro-UK tone that had been set, and I could see how it may have been wrong not to pay tribute to both countries in their own right – making it seem as though the only thing Scotland was good for in the tournament was putting England on top as opposed to celebrating its own achievement that day, and I did feel as though I came off as not understanding the nature of rugby in the UK and Ireland.

     I genuinely thought there was some poetry in one Home Nation of the UK helping – inadvertently – another one win the Six Nations championship though its action of winning its own game. Indeed, I still do. However – having known beforehand the nature of the separate teams – I should have known better than to write a message that appeared to downplay Scotland’s achievement or make it feel as though its win against France was only significant because it helped England.

     I make no apologies for being supportive of England and Scotland being part of the same country – the United Kingdom – and I strive to emphasize the United Kingdom as a single entity when possible and appropriate. However, I realized that my exuberance for the UK got the best of me – perhaps like Neil Kinnock at Sheffield in 1992 – and a rush of blood led to an over-the-top overbearing message on Facebook and Twitter.

     For that reason, I wrote an apology on Twitter and changed the Facebook message to:

“Congrats as Scotland defeats France today and England wins its first Six Nations championship since 2011.”

     Looking back, I should have known better because even supporters of the Union who I have met are proud of having separate football (soccer) and rugby teams for each Home Nation, and do not wish to see them combined or in any way diluted in the shadow of another. More to the point, I’m almost sure most members of the Scotland team and the fan base were not thinking about helping England as they were playing against France, or thinking that they would obtain some sort of a share of a UK victory with England.

     Just to make it clear, I have respect for both teams and wholeheartedly congratulate them for their respective achievements on Sunday. Indeed, on Twitter, I found England fans congratulating Scotland and Scotland fans congratulating England in mutual respect for each other, along with the good-natured banter that befits the people who support different teams in this arena, but are citizens of the country and support each other in common endeavors.

     Again, I make no apologies for supporting the United Kingdom, but in this instance, I do feel as though I carried my activism too far in an area where it was quite inappropriate and unhelpful for the cause of the Union, and for that, I apologize for any misunderstanding or offense caused in what was a well-intended but ill-considered social media message.