Irish Dionysus/Bacchus

(this op-ed piece first appeared in the march, 2009 issue of the
current. for the full 'narrative of da voyage of da bloody, snake
chariot see www.libbyhome.blogspot.com or myspace/jahdep )

I have found myself on March 17 in places where you wouldn't tend to
believe there would be many Irish about to properly celebrate The
Day.

And yet I have found Irish Dionysus/Bacchus in unlikely places.

In 1978 I was in Dacca, Bangladesh. By a series of meaningful
coincidences I found myself at the offices of CONCERN (the rough
equivalent of the Irish Peace Corp) on March 16 (St. Paddy's Day-Eve).

What ensued is a legendary party/debauch in the history of Southern Asia.

We drank like Indians. We drank like Russians. We drank like Mexicans.
We drank like Irish (and God invented whisky to prevent the Irish from
taking over the world). We drank until ecstatic ecstasy. We drank
until ecstatic oblivion. We drank until the last person standing -
fell to the ground.

(PUBLIC HEALTH DISCLAIMER - You are advised to drink responsibly, to
drink no more alcohol than is medicinal (this amount will vary for
each person but in general is no more than two at the most three
drinks in any 24 hr. interval). And yet maybe once, no more than twice
a year, it is this writer's personal opinion that you should go there.
This personal opinion is only partially supported by medical research. I
am not advising you to do this. I am not a medical doctor (however, I
know someone who is).
All I'm saying is that it works for me.)

A detachment of the Bangladeshi Army was sent to guard us as we
slumbered in the grass and bushes, Later, a representative of the Government of
Bangladesh, thanked Allah that nobody got killed, nobody got hurt.

Mexico City goes all out on St. Paddy's Day. There are parades with
the brave sound of bag-pipe mariachis.

In Mexico it is most of all a celebration of the Patricio's (those of
St, Patrick).

The Patricios were refugees from the famine who signed up for the U.S.
Army's adventure in Mexico/the Mexican War (1846-48). They mass
deserted from the invading Protestant army to fight alongside their
Mexican compadres.

There are over 300,000 Mexican citizens of Irish ancestry.

There are major celebrations in Japan, Singapore, and Russia. And yet,
until recently, Ireland was the last place you would want to be on
March 17.

Ireland was once the most oppressed-and-kept-down-by-religion-places
(see 'Angela's Ashes' by Frank McCourt) in all the world (even more so
than Oklahoma). In the 1970's more than 90 percent of the Irish went
to church every week. In the 1970's Irish law mandated that pubs close
on March 17.

And then the Catholic Church was devastated by more than a decade of
scandals involving serial child abuse by clerics.

Now less than 44 percent of the Irish go to church, and this
percentage of the population who are church-goers is rapidly
diminishing.

Some Irish describe their country as post-Christian,
post-organized religion.

Now the doors of the pubs of the Emerald Isle are again joyously
thrown open to greet The Day.

This Day may no longer be thought of as an observance of an organized
religion's holiday. And yet it will be, forever, an excellent excuse
to have a party.

Solanthe...