IN THE wake of St Patrick’s Day, commentators across the globe have been having their say on Ireland’s national holiday.
Writing in London free-sheet Metro, columnist Ross McG hit out at the world-celebrated event, describing the day as bringing “out the worst in an entire nation, and then ropes in pretty much every other nation an: "d brings out the worst in them too.”
Commentator Scott Bixby was even less forgiving in an article posted on popular comment site The Daily Beast entitled ‘Let's Rename St Patrick's Day 'Douchebag Christmas'’.
Bixby wrote: “While Irish eyes might be smiling today, the rest of ours aren't. What used to be a celebration of the resiliency of the Irish diaspora has become a drunken festival of idiots dressed in green.”
He added: “St Patrick’s Day is a childish spectacle of obnoxious behaviour celebrated by inebriated manchildren who could use a few whacks with a shillelagh.”
In The Guardian, Padraig Reidy argued that people shouldn’t “let the cynics and puritans ruin your St Patrick's Day”.
Urging his fellow Irishman to embrace the world ‘wanting to be Irish for the day’, he added: “Perhaps we should learn to take the compliment. If someone from Sevenoaks wants to claim an affinity with Ireland because he thought Ballykissangel was quite good, why stop him? We should be pleased. No one goes round claiming to be fifth-generation Belgian, no matter how good their beer is.”
