Today marks the annual celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day, a cultural holiday in several Western countries that honors the life and legacy of the patron saint of Ireland. In the United States, it is often celebrated through large-scale parades and religious observances but is perhaps most well-known for its significant displays of the color green. This begs the question: Is this color meant to represent Ireland or Italy?
The average American might call this question ridiculous on its face. However, the average American is likely unaware that Saint Patrick was not born or raised in Ireland. In fact, he was taken there by force after being kidnapped and enslaved by Irish pirates at the age of 16. While the exact location of his birth in the fourth century has been widely debated, the consensus is that his life began in modern-day England, Scotland, or Wales. These may represent present-day Great Britain, but at the time, these territories were occupied by the Roman Empire. Furthermore, Patrick’s parents, Calpurnias and Conchessa, were Roman citizens living in the British Isles after being assigned to watch over Roman Colonies.
Given these Roman roots, it is unknown whether his family was of indigenous Celtic or Italian descent, but it is not entirely out of the question that Saint Patrick could have been a paisan.
Does this mean we can finally ditch the corned beef and cabbage for sausage & peppers? I am not sure if Irish Americans would be too keen on having Italians claim their beloved holiday, so proceed with caution before you shout from the mountaintops that the patron saint of Ireland was actually an Italian. Saint Patrick’s Day is to the Irish what Columbus Day is to Italian Americans, so let’s continue to respect Irish heritage and culture as we do our own.
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