“I bind myself against hostile men and their fierce hostility and their false words.
- St. Patrick
There isn’t anything like St. Patrick’s Day.
Technically, it is a religious feast day. The Catholic calendar is divided into a litany of devotional days for all manner of saints: St. Valentine, St. Bridget, St. Andrew, St. Joseph, St. Catherine, etc. March 17 commemorates Patrick, a former Roman slave credited with bringing the Christian faith to Ireland.
But here’s the thing: the Catholic Church never formally recognized Patrick as an official saint. He was elevated as a symbol of hope by the poor in Ireland. They chose him as their guide in surviving a thousand years of repression.
St. Patrick’s Day falls in the dark days of Lenten fasts when the faithful are supposed to abstain from fun and limit their sinful intake. But St. Patrick is a people’s saint, and the Irish turned March 17 from a prayer day into a party. It became a time to celebrate their culture, history and songs.
The Irish who came to North America were a political underclass. Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day was a form of resistance.
Nowhere was this truer than in Toronto, which was once known as “Little Belfast” for its militant sectarian politics. Those who dared march on St. Patrick’s Day faced mob violence and threats. The Irish persevered, and Toronto is now a global city known for its multiculturalism and tolerance.
This transformation is how the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations grew across North America. It morphed out of a religious and sectarian ghetto to become an event that welcomes all people.
As the Irish say, St. Patrick’s Day is not just for the Irish; it is for everyone who wishes they could be Irish. This makes St. Patrick’s Day unique: it has transformed from religion to resistance to inclusion.
No wonder Donald Trump hates it.
On the eve of the 2025 celebration, Trump threw 200% tariffs on Irish exports of Guinness and Irish whiskey. These drinks are at the heart of so many St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. But to Trump, it is just another example of America being “ripped off.”
Not content to poke the Irish, he threw 200% tariffs on French wine. Apparently, French wines are also ripping off hardworking American people. And so, Trump is going to make American buyers pay more.
How is that going to help anyone?
And what kind of politician picks a fight with the Irish on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day?
Such are the politics of rage and knuckle-dragging resentment. MAGA is mean. It is stupid, and it seeks to isolate the American people from their cultural and political friends all over the world. But ultimately, it ain’t going to work. Canada considers itself in good company if we are being attacked alongside Ireland and France.
On March 17 I will drink a good shot of Irish whiskey in solidarity with this new coalition of the decent and the just. And here’s a song that I will be singing on St. Paddy’s Day night:
Donald, you are not going to crash our party. But I want you to know that on St. Patrick’s Day, I will be saying a special prayer to St. Patrick - asking him to help banish the snakes out of Washington.
Consider yourself warned.
“banish the snakes out of Washington”!! 🙏
Happy Days Charlie and my Irish insult to Donald Trump “you’re a feckin eejit”