Seriously, when I see Shane McGowan in his current glory, I see where I probably should have been. When I drank, I never had a St Patrick's Day that I enjoyed after I was about 13. My parents would let me drink some Wild Irish Rose under the mistaken belief that it had something to do with Ireland when I was in my early teens. Graduated beyond it, but never really had fun. Now, I don't not have fun. Yeah, confused, as is my relationship to theatrical Irishness.
On the other hand, it's not all that big a deal. Kind of a phony deal, and all the folks who suddenly decide to celebrate their Irishness, especially those that aren't Irish. Fuck 'em. If it's St George's Day, should I shove a poker up my arse and call myself Henry Tudor? Columbus Day, should I wear a black suit with a black shirt and a black tie and grease my hair and mutter insanely things that make no sense from old gangster movies? On St Louis'Day, should I refrain from bathing and gargle a rendering of cheap wine, garlic and snails? So, having Poles tell me their name that day is O'Slavikbuggeringnightmarewithnotenoughvowels to pronounce kind of pisses me off.
Anyway, the Catholicism that was traditional to Ireland prior to the great Crusade led by Henry II and Thomas Becket to liberate the Catholic Irish from St Patrick's and the Irish theology which was more liberating and fit the culture. Since it didn't kick in 10% of everything to the Holy Father , a Nicolas Breakspeare/Pope Adrian whose father, interestingly was a monk either before, during or after or some combination of his boy's childhood and was from Hertfordshire. Not that there's anything wrong with an Englishman who happens to be Pope selling the authority to Crusade against Catholic Ireland...actually, there's a lot wrong with it. The Crusades would be funny if the various things didn't screw up the world and kill thousands if not millions of poor ignorant bastards. There are complaints in mainstream history about the Albignesian Crusade and the sack of Constantinople and various other military adventures that had far less to do with faith than in lust, power and money. Ireland is largely ignored...I guess they figure that the french playwright and Peter O'Toole screwed over actor enough. Breakspeare may not have been the only Pope from Britain, by the way. Pope Joan who may or may not have existed as Pope John...according to a quote in Wiki
Pope John VIII: John, of English extraction, was born at Mentz (Mainz) and is said to have arrived at Popedom by evil art; for disguising herself like a man, whereas she was a woman, she went when young with her paramour, Frumentius, a learned man, to Athens, and made such progress in learning under the professors there that, coming to Rome, she met with few that could equal, much less go beyond her, even in the knowledge of the scriptures; and by her learned and ingenious readings and disputations, she acquired so great respect and authority that upon the death of Pope Leo IV (as Martin says) by common consent she was chosen Pope in his room. As she was going to the Lateran Church between the Colossean Theatre (so called from Nero's Colossus) and St. Clement's her travail came upon her, and she died upon the place, having sat two years, one month, and four days, and was buried there without any pomp. This story is vulgarly told, but by very uncertain and obscure authors, and therefore I have related it barely and in short, lest I should seem obstinate and pertinacious if I had admitted what is so generally talked. I had better mistake with the rest of the world, though it be certain, that what I have related may be thought not altogether incredible (Bartolomeo Platina
--Vitæ Pontificum Platinæ historici liber de vita Christi ac omnium pontificum qui hactenus ducenti fuere et XX).
Now, Crusader AXE is obviously proud of his Irish heritage, and will easily and gladly stipulate that Ireland is a marvelous place, and at times very friendly to Americans. At the same time, we're an angry bunch of fuckers, and while Seamus the WWE idiot is a parody, there's some truth to the portrayal. I saw the new Prime Minister meeting with Obama on TV today, along with the White House fountain pissing green, and he seems avuncular enough. But, the IRA is not that far behind or buried in all of us; except the Protestants, of course, and there the UVF is fairly close as well. It's not necessarily religion; it's really about anger...and, a lot of that goes back to St Patrick and Breakspeare and Strongbow and Cromwell and the Catholic Church. Without the Church, no Ireland; without no Ireland, probably no Church in Western Europe for another 500 years; and the whole symbiotic relationship has never been resolved.
Well, ultimately it's all about class and power and money. Let Mr. Earle sum it up...
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