Bars Closed on St. Patrick's Day

Spirituality Column #175
March 16, 2010
Current in Carmel - Current in Westfield - Current in Noblesville
(Indianapolis north suburban home newspapers)

Bars Closed on St. Patrick’s Day
By Bob Walters

A four-leaf clover, a pint (or several) of Guinness and a parade do not a proper Irish observance make for Patrick, the patron saint who drove the snakes from Ireland.

The four-leaf clover and snakes, in fact, are completely wrong, and pubs used to be closed.

St. Patrick, known as the Apostle of Ireland, was actually born in Scotland in 387 AD to a Roman family of high rank whose relatives included the great patron of France, St. Martin of Tours. Captured at age 16 by Irish marauders, Patrick was sold as a slave in Ireland and tended sheep, during which time he prayed continually for deliverance and guidance, and spoke with God in his dreams.

By learning the Celt language, Patrick was well-equipped later to share his faith with the pagan Druids and win them – and all of Ireland – over to Christianity.

Patrick, a Bishop, helped defeat heresies of the day, explained the Holy Trinity using the green three-leaf clover or shamrock, is credited with miracles of escape, healing and victories, and likely in his life never so much as saw a snake.

Snakes, you see, are not indigenous to Ireland. “Snakes” probably refers symbolically (think “serpent” in Genesis 3) to Druid paganism, a religion Patrick drove from Ireland.

Patrick died in Downpatrick, Ireland, probably in 461 AD and possibly on March 17, a date ever since celebrated by the Irish who themselves made Patrick a “Saint” some 500 years before the Roman Church began the practice.

In the early 1600s the Church formally put March 17 on its calendar to honor St. Patrick of Ireland. It wasn’t until 1903 that St. Patrick’s Day was an official holiday in Ireland – a day upon which all bars in Ireland were closed (until the 1970s) to preserve religious solemnity.

Oddly enough, the first “St. Patrick’s Day Parade” anywhere on record was in New York City in 1762, when Irish soldiers of the British Army marched to identify each other and build fellowship.

The traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage is American. Irish prefer pork with their cabbage as pious Catholics take a break from their no-meat Lenten fast.

So it’s a three-leaf clover, not four. Druid religion, not snakes. Pork, not beef.

But as for Guinness … aye Celts, a fine Irish quaff.

Erin go bragh! (Ireland forever!)

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) here are excerpts the beautiful prayer “St. Patrick’s Breast-Plate” for a proper St. Paddy’s observance:
“… Christ with me, Christ before me; Christ behind me, Christ within me;
Christ beneath me, Christ above me; Christ at my right, Christ at my left …”