Daily Creativity: Rory has a Shamrock Feast!

I painted this Shamrock feast for Rory in honor of St Patrick’s Day. I didn’t do much this Paddy’s day. I have been growing more and more uneasy with how the holiday has been celebrated. It ends up feeling like green marti gras. where people use it as an excuse to get drunk and do stupid things. It’s not about being Irish, or celebrating the Irish. It’s not about faith. It’s just an excuse to act like frat heads. I like the idea that everyone can be Irish on Paddy’s day. I’m not against going for a pint or more with friends. I am against people doing stupid things and using this holiday (or any other) to excuse their behavior.

From the nonsense of pinching people for not wearing green, to being able to kiss or harass anyone who IS wearing green, to people driving drunk, it grosses me out. If I see one more set of green beads… and I know people reading this are thinking, I like those green beads, they are fun.  Fine, I just think it is the tipping point that shows how this holiday has become more of a festival and far from the origins than anything.

Still, as a person who is second generation Irish, Paddy’s day is still special. I toasted, I had a mini celebration with a tall boy of Smithwick’s (which thankfully Tek bought for me and I didn’t have to hear the beer store clerk unable to pronounce it and pushing a hard W, ugh) and baked some soda bread and at the food my grandma loved, steak. She wasn’t a cabbage person, and the only corned beef I really remember eating growing up came with hash.

Watercolor on paper