Corned beef and Cabbage. $1 Irish car bombs. Irish Dancers. Bagpipes. Guinness. Four leaf clovers. The Southside Irish parade. Dyeing the Chicago River green. Kiss Me I’m Irish shirts.  Soda bread. Bar Crawls.

Illinoisans have come to expect all these things in the weeks leading up to St. Patrick’s Day and this year is no exception. With the parade in Beverly—a deep rooted blue-collar Irish community—kicking off it’s celebration last week, young and old are counting down to March 17^th festivities. But, does the true meaning of St. Patrick’s Day get drown in all the green beer? It appears that many Illinois residents think  so.

“MY PARENTS WOULD NEVER LET US OUT ON ST. PATTY’S BECAUSE THEY WERE ALWAYS AFRAID OF THE CRAZY DRUNKS.” ~Holly H., 24, Evanston, IL~

Just ask yourself….Do you know who St. Patrick is or why he is famous enough to get his own celebratory day? If you are like me (and I am part Irish), you probably can’t answer that question. But in all likelihood, you will be out on March 17^th drinking up a storm, praying to the porcelain gods a few times, wearing something green and acting like a total goofball with your friends who are just as clueless as you are about Irish history.

Still, it doesn’t take a genius to notice  the partying getting out-of-control on St. Patty’s. The president of the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana has called on faculty and staff to put an end to this party once and for all. With the students hosting drunken bar crawls starting at 8 a.m. (yep you heard right), leaving beer cans and empty kegs all over the quad and jamming up local hospitals with students (most underage) who are suffering from alcohol poisoning—he is proposing that any student partying excessively be arrested—gee, that is enough to make any student go green!  Still, U of I students are protesting that shutting down these parties is degrading to Irish students who have a right to celebrate the day honoring their heritage with a few drinks. What’s next, will Cinco de Mayo get canceled too? 

“THAT IS JUST WHAT THE CITY NEEDS EACH YEAR, DRUNK PEOPLE YAKKING ON THE STREET. DON’T THE STREETS HAVE ENOUGH YAK? ~Bob, 19, Beverly

·         St. Patrick was actually born in Britain.

Now, if imbibing is your motto on March 17^th, at least knowing those little facts will not leave you ignorant.

Also, it is important to know that the Irish have a vast history in the United States going way back to the Civil War. It was this war that brought a majority of Irish men, women and children to Illinois, especially the Illinois Valley. Not only did the Irish emigrate to the U.S. due to immense famine in their native Ireland but it was their strong connection to religion that got them through troubled times. The Irish brought their deep-rooted beliefs in Catholicism with them to Illinois and were instrumental in developing religion in our state as well as jump starting the area’s economy. And, La Salle County owes most of its architecture to Irish immigrants who popularized the Georgian style that still dominates this area today!

So, before anyone thinks St. Patrick’s Day is nothing more than a day to party and enjoy everything green…think again. In less than 125 years, the Irish have left a lasting imprint across America that has been so crucial to the development of cities like Boston, Chicago and New York that this culture deserves to be celebrated. Thus, if you decide to drink, just be aware of the green goodness behind the celebration! Or,  just toast to these Irish inventions:

·         Shorthand form of Speed Writing (Could you make it through a lecture sans this trick?)