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What Makes Me Feckin Raging About St. Patrick’s Day in America
And it’s not the green beer
I recently received notice that my quest for dual citizenship with Ireland will soon be realized. Although I was born in the United States, I qualify for Irish citizenship because one of my grandparents was born there.
Why I applied for Irish citizenship is another story, but since Ancestry confirms my DNA is 50% Irish, and the Irish government is happy to claim me, I feel reasonably entitled to vent about a couple of things some of my fellow Americans get wrong about St. Patrick’s Day.
Don’t misgender Ireland’s patron saint
Nicknames are acceptable as long as they imply affection, so it’s okay with me if you want to call March 17th “St. Paddy’s Day.” What is NOT okay is to misgender the saint by calling it “St. Patty’s Day.” Don’t let the dress fool you. There’s no evidence to suggest that St. Patrick identified as a woman.
In Ireland (and pretty much everywhere else), “Patty” is a feminine name. The nickname for Patrick is “Paddy” because the Gaelic form of Patrick is Padraig.
