Madam, – It is reassuring to know that, despite the economic nightmare we face, the people of Ireland can celebrate no less exuberantly than ever, as evidenced by the drunkards wandering the streets and the empty bottles scattered around Dublin after St Patrick’s Day. Can nothing prove the old Irish stereotype false? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Has the dearth of shamrock on display on St Patrick’s Day anything to do with the fact that we are no longer living in clover? – Yours, e tc,
Madam, – As one of about 600 Irish people in a city of 18 million, I never thought I would hear the streets of Shanghai echo to the sound of “Oró Sé do Bheatha ’Bhaile” but that’s exactly what happened on Saturday as almost 1,500 people took to the streets to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.
The biggest St Patrick’s celebration ever held in China was the culmination of months of hard work by Chinese and Irish community members including the Irish Consulate, the Luwan Government, Le Chéile (The Irish Community Association of Shanghai), the GAA, Fudan University and sponsors Tourism Ireland and Murphy’s Irish Stout.
As almost 3,000 mainly Chinese spectators joined in the fun, representatives from TCD, UCD, UCC and University of Limerick Chinese alumni and the Irish Business Community were led by a lone piper, a Chinese marching band and two dragons, “Shamrock” and “Finbarr”. After speeches by the Irish Consul General, Conor O’Riordain, and local government officials, we were entertained by Irish traditional music group Caladh and dancing from both Chinese and Irish dance troupes. What followed was a scene reminiscent of an Irish crossroads céili as spontaneous dancing broke out.
In these difficult times it is a source of immense pride to see how common cultural values can create cultural understanding and appreciation. I want to take this opportunity to thank the people of our host city for making such a magical and memorable event possible. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – President McAleese, in her article “A time for Irish people to find strength in adversity” (March 17th), writes: “may we, too, find. . .that mighty strength that Patrick found in adversity”. She notes that St Patrick’s mighty strength made of Ireland “a world-renowned centre of Christian values, scholarship, monasticism, spirituality”.
With the greatest of respect, I submit that a very important distinction has to be made here.
St Patrick was a Christian at a time when Christianity was still finding its way across the world, taking root, growing, establishing itself, realising its enormous potential to shape nations, their future, their culture, their society – just as Patrick’s bringing of Christianity to our land shaped us. His mighty strength came from Christ himself, from him who, in his life and death, faced and overcame adversity such as no human being has ever known or ever shall.
We Irish today live in a decidedly post-Christian culture. We have abandoned the Christian values Patrick struggled, laboured and persevered to give us. Essentially, we have deserted Christ, his person, his godhood, and his moral teachings. Whatever we may care to claim or assume, we are – in our behaviour and attitudes – now anti-Christian. Indeed, it is precisely this forsaking of Christ that has led us to our present adversities.
President McAleese is right. We need the mighty strength of Patrick. However, we have to be very clear in our minds that recovering that strength requires first an honest, determined, complete recovery of Patrick’s Christianity.
- Yours, etc,