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By Kristen McCann
After the New Year passes, and March rolls around, Saint Patrick’s Day is here again. It is a time for the celebration of St. Patrick and his gift of Christianity to Ireland, helping Ireland to identify with the shamrock.
But, somewhere along the line, this day of history and pride became not just a day of celebrating Ireland and its patron saint, but also a time for everyone to become “Irish” for a day, no matter what their ethnic background is. This day seems, to some, to grant people permission to wear kelly green clothes, to eat green-dyed foods, and to fall into a drunken stupor. Along with this American tradition comes the shortened name of St. Paddy’s day or even worse, St. Patty’s Day.
Many forget that ‘Paddy’ was an ethnic slur used along with ‘Mick’ and ‘Taig’. These derogatory terms were forms of disrespect. It gave a stereotypical name to an entire body of people.
Sure, Paddy is a common shortened version of Patrick, because it is derived from the name Pádraig. But it is certainly unacceptable to call the day, St. Patty’s Day.
So next March 17th, please remember to have some respect…and call the day by its proper name, Saint Patrick’s Day.