All nations need their symbols and Ireland has, in St Patrick, one that travels and resonates exceptionally far and deep. Getting beyond the myths and legends associated with this icon is complicated by antiquity. Documents about Patrick, born into a Christian family of fifth-century Roman Britain and, in his own words, “led to Ireland in captivity,” date from the seventh century. Even then, scholars writing about him struggled to establish authenticity and precise chronology. Simultaneously, clergymen promoted him as a national apostle, developing the cult of St Patrick to meet the propaganda needs and politics of the church at that time.
Listed as a saint’s day in the Irish legal calendar since 1607 to mark the death of St Patrick in the late fifth century, and an official Irish holiday since 1904, St Patrick’s Day has served numerous functions and been attached to various causes over the centuries, while consistently providing a rallying point for those of Irish heritage. The first St Patrick’s Day parade in New York was held in 1766. In 1801 the red saltire of St Patrick was incorporated in the Union flag. What became the Irish Republican Brotherhood, dedicated to the violent overthrow of British rule in Ireland, was established on St Patrick’s Day in 1858.
The day provided an opportunity for cultural nationalists to showcase Irish language and music, but it was celebrated historically throughout Ireland, and both Catholic and Protestant churches were named in his honour. The revolutionary decade 1913-23 and partition undermined the inclusive nature of St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
The contemporary commercialisation of St Patrick obscures the extent to which his honouring was once associated with pilgrimage and religion. Cultural revivalists ensured the voluntary closure of pubs on St Patrick’s Day in 1904, a prohibition legislated for by the Free State in 1927.
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The more recent scale of revelry has generated concerns about crassness and excess. But the opportunities the day offers have understandably been embraced. Ireland’s place in the world revolves much around deployment of “soft power” – the global economic connections, the scale of its diaspora and the penetration of its culture.
The shamrock in the White House tradition was instigated in 1952 by Ireland’s US ambassador to build diplomatic bridges damaged by Irish neutrality during the second World War. This year, 38 Irish state representatives have been visiting over 40 countries. Given current international turbulence and challenging questions about Irish economic and defence policy, the unique diplomatic opportunities offered by St Patrick’s Day take on added significance. These need to be combined with pride in our distinctive culture and recognition of the continuing relevance of Patrick’s story to migration, nationalism, faith and the invention and distortion of tradition.
