To kilt or not to kilt: A St. Paddy's Day conundrum

[McFarkus]

I will be kilted on St. Patrick's Day (celebrated here on the 15th to avoid conflict with Holy Week). After reading this thread I decided not to wear one of my Scottish tartan wool kilts. I just ordered an Stillwater economy kilt in the Irish National tartan.

I'm going to Tommy Nevin's in Evanston where my nephew (he's a somewhat inactive member here under Seamus) and his Celtic punk group Shillelagh Law are having a reunion perofrmance. Since there's likely to be a lot of drinking and such, I figured an inexpensive, washable kilt was not a bad idea.

For Chicago area kilties, their performance is detailed here http://www.myspace.com/peaceloveandwhiskey

[Ayin McFye]

As anyone who has read this entire thread from beginning to end can agree, there are obvious different points of view on St. Patrick's (St. Paddy's) day. There has been LOTS of good advice as well as to how to plan accordingly to the types of situations you will encounter. Inevitably the whole "kilts are scottish not Irish" arguement came up again, but I'm used to that.

Before I go into what I'm going to say know that I hold the utmost respect for Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and another other country in the world that has ties to the Kilt. I respect my kilt, wear it with pride, and most of all I have fun. Anyways, here i go.

St. Paddy's day is a day for fun. Sure it has some very profound historical ties to some very important times in Ireland's history. Most people don't celebrate the "actual" history of the day and that is fine. It's very common.

I don't dress like Santa Claus on Christmas, and only a perentage of the world's population actually celebrate what the day was "intended" for. Some people just open presents and have fun.

I don't dress like the easter bunny on Easter. But I give my son an Easter basket to have fun with him.

I dress up in random costumes on Halloween, even though I know the true history of the holiday and don't "celebrate it" as it was originally intended.

St. Patrick's day is a day for fun now for me. I will wear my kilt, whether it be my Irish National, or Scottish Heritage, or a host of others that I own, because I can. I personally will do lots of drinking, but will NOT be a "drunken plastic paddy".

Some people on this thread have gotten angry or defensive for various reasons, and my comment to you, is just relax and have fun. If nothing else, the attention that you will receive (some good, some bad) is worth wearing your kilt on this day. Also you may inevitably turn someone on to it, that has been dying to make contact with their heritage. You can be that junction point for them. Or as it was said before, you can just come back with a witty comment. either way, it's a day for fun. We all like fun don't we? Whether you do it drunk or sober or somewhere in between. Go have fun on the 17th. Life's too short not to have fun when you have the chance.

Slainte!

[DireStraitsFan]

I don't mean to be a stickler here BUT....
Every time I see someone say or write "St. Paddy's" day I shiver. The term "Paddy", being a derogatory, demeaning and downright racist remark, is being furthered as a connotation for a people by the uneducated and the ill-informed. Commercial interests like to play up those facts and further their interests by preying on that mis-information. Unfortunately, too many people feel the need to perpetuate the myth of the day. The day was set to honor the memory of a great man and the special things that he accomplished during his life. Wearing a kilt on St. Patrick's Day is a fit way to honor that person. We wear our kilts with pride, so why soil the same "fabric" by associating ourselves with and supporting this predjudicial terminology. It doesn't take that much more time to say or write St. Patrick.
Nulty
Caveat: I do not say NOR imply that any, here on this forum, are uneducated or ill-informed. T.E.

Seriously? I use Paddy simply as a nickname. Patrick, Padraig, Pat, Pad, Patty, Paddy. It's a phonetical spelling of a nickname to me. I've never found it offensive. Can we please not turn this into some kind of PC led witch hunt?

[Galician]

St. Paddy's day is a day for fun. Sure it has some very profound historical ties to some very important times in Ireland's history. Most people don't celebrate the "actual" history of the day and that is fine. It's very common.

I don't dress like Santa Claus on Christmas, and only a perentage of the world's population actually celebrate what the day was "intended" for. Some people just open presents and have fun.

I don't dress like the easter bunny on Easter. But I give my son an Easter basket to have fun with him.

I dress up in random costumes on Halloween, even though I know the true history of the holiday and don't "celebrate it" as it was originally intended.

...Life's too short not to have fun when you have the chance.

Slainte!

[macwilkin]

Seriously? I use Paddy simply as a nickname. Patrick, Padraig, Pat, Pad, Patty, Paddy. It's a phonetical spelling of a nickname to me. I've never found it offensive. Can we please not turn this into some kind of PC led witch hunt?

I don't anyone is trying to turn the thread into a "PC-led witch hunt", but what McNulty brings up is absolutely correct; in the late 19th and early 20th century, "Paddy" was a common nickname for male Irish immigrants, usually with a negative connotation, just as "Hans" was for Germans. I've seen many anti-immigrant broadsides, articles, etc. from this time period that use both terms freely.

While you may not find it offensive, there is a historical precedent for it that cannot be denied. It's similar to the nickname for Cajuns (which itself was a negative term at one point, Coona**, which some Cajuns have adopted as their own, while others wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. Sort of like hillbilly here in the Ozarks.

Regards,

Todd

[DireStraitsFan]

As anyone who has read this entire thread from beginning to end can agree, there are obvious different points of view on St. Patrick's (St. Paddy's) day. There has been LOTS of good advice as well as to how to plan accordingly to the types of situations you will encounter. Inevitably the whole "kilts are scottish not Irish" arguement came up again, but I'm used to that.

Before I go into what I'm going to say know that I hold the utmost respect for Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and another other country in the world that has ties to the Kilt. I respect my kilt, wear it with pride, and most of all I have fun. Anyways, here i go.

St. Paddy's day is a day for fun. Sure it has some very profound historical ties to some very important times in Ireland's history. Most people don't celebrate the "actual" history of the day and that is fine. It's very common.

I don't dress like Santa Claus on Christmas, and only a perentage of the world's population actually celebrate what the day was "intended" for. Some people just open presents and have fun.

I don't dress like the easter bunny on Easter. But I give my son an Easter basket to have fun with him.

I dress up in random costumes on Halloween, even though I know the true history of the holiday and don't "celebrate it" as it was originally intended.

St. Patrick's day is a day for fun now for me. I will wear my kilt, whether it be my Irish National, or Scottish Heritage, or a host of others that I own, because I can. I personally will do lots of drinking, but will NOT be a "drunken plastic paddy".

Some people on this thread have gotten angry or defensive for various reasons, and my comment to you, is just relax and have fun. If nothing else, the attention that you will receive (some good, some bad) is worth wearing your kilt on this day. Also you may inevitably turn someone on to it, that has been dying to make contact with their heritage. You can be that junction point for them. Or as it was said before, you can just come back with a witty comment. either way, it's a day for fun. We all like fun don't we? Whether you do it drunk or sober or somewhere in between. Go have fun on the 17th. Life's too short not to have fun when you have the chance.

Slainte!

Here, here.

[DireStraitsFan]

I don't anyone is trying to turn the thread into a "PC-led witch hunt", but what McNulty brings up is absolutely correct; in the late 19th and early 20th century, "Paddy" was a common nickname for male Irish immigrants, usually with a negative connotation, just as "Hans" was for Germans. I've seen many anti-immigrant broadsides, articles, etc. from this time period that use both terms freely.

While you may not find it offensive, there is a historical precedent for it that cannot be denied. It's similar to the nickname for Cajuns (which itself was a negative term at one point, Coona**, which some Cajuns have adopted as their own, while others wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. Sort of like hillbilly here in the Ozarks.

Regards,

Todd

I understand what you're saying. And I'm aware that it was used in that way. Although, one way to prevent a bee from stinging you is to pull out its stinger.

I guess some people just look for reasons to be offended.

[Ayin McFye]

FYI, my above post refers to various holidays. I in no way was trying to make fun of these holidays. My only point was to make sure that you have fun, no matter what you do.

[macwilkin]

I understand what you're saying. And I'm aware that it was used in that way. Although, one way to prevent a bee from stinging you is to pull out its stinger.

Hence my mention of the adoption of the aforementioned term Coona**; my mother-in-law uses the term frequently to describe herself, although other Cajuns (which itself was somewhat perjorative at one time) do not.

Same with hillbilly around these parts. That debate has been going on for years now.

I guess some people just look for reasons to be offended.

That I cannot speak to, although I don't feel McNulty's comments should be dismissed as "PC witch-hunting" either.

T.

[DireStraitsFan]

Thanks everyone for posting. I think I will wear my kilts and be happy. I think I would be remiss to not wear it on a day that it would fit in with others. I guess whether it's an Irish holiday or not matters little. The fact is, I see more kilts on St. Patrick's Day than I do on any other day (at least here in Austin). So, what the hay!