Happy Irish-culture Appropriation Day!

That's right, I still can't stand what St. Patrick's Day has become and I have zero interest in celebrating a day that has become a global phenomenon associated with partying, excessive drinking, and commercial exploitation. Apparently, I am along in that thinking so, of course, there was a another huge turn out for the community event to celebrate it, which I will get on to in a minute.

Firstly, for me, one of the most troubling aspects of modern St. Patrick’s Day celebrations is the widespread cultural appropriation. People of non-Irish descent enthusiastically participate in festivities while often reducing Irish culture to a series of clichés.

Symbols like shamrocks, leprechauns, and pots of gold have been commodified and stripped of their historical context. The image of the mischievous leprechaun, once rooted in Irish folklore, has been turned into a caricature, reinforcing outdated and offensive stereotypes. Similarly, the phrase "Kiss Me, I’m Irish" trivialises Irish identity into a novelty rather than a legitimate cultural heritage.

The association of St. Patrick’s Day with excessive drinking further perpetuates harmful stereotypes. The depiction of the "drunken Irish" has long been used as a means of demeaning Irish people, particularly in the 19th and early 20th centuries when they were often viewed as unruly and inferior. Today, the holiday’s modern celebration—marked by pub crawls, binge drinking, and rowdy behaviour—does little to counteract these damaging narratives.

And, like many holidays, St. Patrick’s Day has been aggressively commercialised, particularly in countries such as the United States. Retailers flood the market with green merchandise, from plastic hats to novelty t-shirts emblazoned with phrases like "Let’s Get Shamrocked" and "Irish for a Day." These products, while seemingly harmless, contribute to a broader trend of reducing St. Patrick’s Day to a consumer-driven event devoid of its cultural and historical significance.

Alcohol companies, in particular, have capitalised on the holiday, promoting themed drinks and encouraging excessive consumption. Guinness, Jameson, and other alcohol brands release special promotions and advertisements reinforcing the idea that celebrating St. Patrick’s Day requires drinking to excess. This not only promotes irresponsible behaviour but also further entrenches the association between Irish identity and alcohol abuse.

Even major corporations with no connection to Irish culture leverage the holiday for marketing purposes. Fast-food chains, for example, introduce limited-edition menu items like McDonald’s Shamrock Shake, which, while popular, has little to do with Irish tradition. The commodification of St. Patrick’s Day ultimately prioritises profit over genuine cultural appreciation.

But OK, I get it. People want to let loose and party so parties are gonna be had. And if there is a community party, I'm obviously going to make an appearance to give anyone who didn't make it the low down. That doesn't mean I have to like or endorse the theme of the party though, So for that reason, I eschewed the tradition of dressing in green as a faux Irish woman. 

Instead, all you'll get from me for the 1/16th blood in me courtesy of my great great grandfather is my green lisptick. None of that gimmicky bullshit. OK, OK, I also wore so a cute matching set of green bra and panties under one of my signature red dresses because, as much as I detest the day and what it has become, I want to at least try to be a good sport about it. I even snuck off and found a quite room to take a few selfies to prove that I had some green undies on.

That said, as much as I really did make an effort to go into the event with an open mind, I have to say that it was pretty lacklustre. It really gave of the vibe of minimum effort to put on an event that just ticked a box. I suppose, thematically, given what I said before about how superficial the day has become, that is against quite appropriate. Because nothing about this party was remotely Irish apart from all the stereotypical decorations and adornments. 

Yes, we go all the leprechaun nonsense with pots of gold and lots of shamrocks. But was there even a single bit of Irish music played? Fuck no. Just the same old generic EDM shit that we get at every party. How you can put on a St' Patrick's Day party and not play any Irish music is beyond me. It's not like it's that hard to source. It's just fucking lazy.

The truth is that the only reason I hung around for more than the 10 or so minutes it took me to take a few photos was that some great company turned up, which allowed me to block out all the bullshit and forget where I actually was. And that's just about the only positive thing I have to say so I think I''ll leave it there. I'm really sorry that this is the second overwhelming negative one of these event wrap-ups that I've done in a row. Fingers crossed the next one can be more positive.