St Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide by Irish people, their descendants, and anyone else who wishes to join in. Known today for grand parades, turning things green, and enjoying a drink, the day has sometimes led to excess. However, a little tipsiness has always been part of remembering the saint.
The 9th-century Book of Armagh instructed all Irish monasteries and churches to celebrate Patrick with three days and nights of feasting. Folklorist Kevin Dannaher described St Patrick's Day 300 years ago: 'In most parts of Ireland the men repaired to the local tavern after church to drink the 'pota Pádraig' or 'St Patrick's pot'. Seldom did the drinking stop at one pot.' He added that 'drowning the shamrock... by no means implies that it is necessary to get drunk in doing so'.
Folklore suggests St Patrick himself enjoyed a drink. Stiofán Ó Cadhla, senior lecturer in folklore at University College Cork, recounted a story about 'the sin of mismeasure', where Patrick entered a pub and ordered a pint. The publican gave him a short measure, and Patrick corrected him, saying: 'You haven't realised that this sin of mismeasure is one of the worst sins that you can commit.'
Diarmuid Ó Giolláin, professor of anthropology at the University of Notre Dame, noted that St Patrick's Day was always special because a dispensation allowed the Lenten fast to be broken, permitting meat and alcohol while other Christians fasted. Drinking was 'a break in the rigours of lent'.
St Patrick's Day falls near the Spring Equinox, tied to the return of growth and the planting of potatoes. Traditional celebrations included 'drowning the shamrock' in a drink. John Carr wrote in the early 19th century that people would 'get very tipsy, they walk through the streets wearing the shamrock in their hats, whiskey is drank in copious libations'. After the potato famine, the Catholic Church clamped down on some practices, but traditional beliefs and Catholic tendencies reached an accommodation, creating folkloric behaviour.
Dr Ó Cadhla explained that there are two versions of St Patrick: the saint of hagiographers and the saint beloved of the Irish people, 'who is like one of themselves'. He added that the great public parades are a relatively recent development.
