Wednesday 17 March 2010

La Fheile Padraig

Today is Paddy's Day everyone! And it's my patriotic duty to post about it, since I'm too young to get drunk. Saint Patrick is kind of a fake anyway. Here:

  • Patrick DIDN'T drive the snakes out of Ireland. The cold and wet did that, 200 years before Patrick showed up in Ireland.
  • Patrick DIDN'T bring Christianity to Ireland. When Roman Britian collapsed, some of the new Christians fled to Ireland from the pagan invaders and took their religion with them,
    years before Patrick.
  • Patrick WASN'T the first Irish bishop. The first Irish bishop was Palladius, appointed by the Pope. But he didn't stay long. He couldn't speak the language, didn't like the country and the Irish threw stones at him.

So there. 'nods smugly'

But this is my favourite Patrick story which is probably true...

Patrick went to the Rock of Cashel to baptize High King Leary. By then, Patrick was getting a bit old so he always had to stick his bishop's staff into the ground to heave himself on to his feet. Unfortunately the staff went through King Leary's foot and pinned it to the ground. But Leary didn't complain or shout 'Watch me bloody foot!' because he thought it was all part of the baptism service!

Oh, and I want to know what all of ye are doing for Paddy's Day. Are there parades where you live? Is there a politician there from Ireland? Every year all our politicians, including the Taoiseach, go abroad for Paddy's Day, but they all spend thousands on limosuines and hotel suites, and everyone gives out about it because they're spending taxpayers money. And Ireland is the worst hit country in Europe from the recession.

La Fheile Padraig!

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