St. Patrick's Day. Day the Irish celebrate being Irish and everybody else wishes they were Irish or acts like they're Irish, just for a day. Some people just go bonkers, drink quarts of Guiness, and joke about how the Irish are all drunks, have high tempers, and are the crazy ethnicity. Everyone wears green so they won't be pinched. Mother always thought it was all foolishness. Mother was Irish. All the Gills and their descendents are Irish, at least partly. The thing is, Grandpa Gill would get mad at the suggestion of being Irish. Mother often asked him what he was, in terms of heritage, and then ask if they were Irish. Grandpa would get mad, and say, every single time, "We're American! What difference does it make what we were before?!" Then he'd stomp off and fume for a while. Mother was always curious about her heritage as a girl growing up. She knew her mother was half English. There was no denying this as Grandma Gill's mother (Grandma Erwin/Kinney/Search) came directly from England by ship when she was eight years old. (She even stopped by Ellis Island like thousands of other immigrants at that time.) Grandpa Gill would claim no heritage and, as mentioned above, got angry when anyone asked about it. Eventually Mother made the correct assumption that the Gills were Irish, but she didn't say a lot about it either.
Like Mother, I was always intensely curious about my ancestors and heritage. I felt like I was the epitome of an American WASP and I found that boring. Other people always had this proud cultural heritage wherein they lived, breathed, and celebrated their heritage. Ours seemed to be kept under wraps. Daddy always claimed being English and Scots. Then I found out his own mother was Irish. (With a name like Spence, it's hard to escape that fact.) So why were all these people afraid to admit to being Irish? As I grew up and learned more about the Irish culture, it dawned on me that regardless of whether the Gills disclaimed any Irish blood, it was there in plain sight. Mother had so many Irish superstitions, rules, cooking, sayings and ways of living that were obvious to anyone knowing anything about the Irish. She also had the "sight" and passed that along to me. (I'm not sure this is a blessing, but it definitely keeps life interesting!)
St. Patrick's Day was celebrated by Irish Catholics as a religious holiday. The towns shut down (including the pubs), everyone went to church, and then had a huge family dinner together. It wasn't until the 1700's in America that St. Patrick's Day became more than that. The first celebrations were held as a show of loyalty to the mother country and to bring attention to the plight of working-class Irish imigrants. The Irish weren't treated well when they came to America and that didn't change for a couple of centuries. Perhaps that is the real reason Grandpa Gill didn't want to claim any Irish blood. It makes sense when you think of it.
Regardless, family, we're Irish! There are things you probably do that are very Irish, but not passed down as Irish. They just are. It's a rich heritage and one of which to be proud. So, kiss us, we're Irish! Just don't drink too much today. It kind of builds into that negative Irish stereotype we're trying to deny! :-)
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