The late Mayor Washington wielding his Irish war club, the Shillelagh.
Saint Patrick’s Day lies like an island of joy amidst the vast sea of Lenten piety and sacrifice. If we are lucky enough to get to it, we can at least for a day, celebrate the Saint that brought Christianity to Ireland--well, sort of did. That it falls during Lent probably was a deliberate act by the church, as any other time of the year, the celebration could get more out of hand. So perhaps having to leave the island after a day’s reprieve, to once again sail across the Lenten Sea is appropriate.
I like to say that in Chicago, Saint Patrick’s Day is both a celebration of being Irish and the first day of Spring. Being Irish in Chicago is also something that takes some disassembling, for there’s a word “Chirish" that sort of describes how everyone--no matter what ethnic background is allowed, really encouraged to celebrate the day. Part of it is due to the old political machine of the past, in which the Irish figured predominantly, forging alliances with other ethnic groups, which over the years has grown less machine and more reformed. That sort of past shenanigans of the Daley machine still is there, at least in spirit in Chicago. It’s why the river gets dyed green--because long ago someone told someone to tell someone to do it.
Over time, perhaps this will fade from memory, but at least for me, I understand, and it made perfect sense to see the late Mayor Harold Washington, our first black mayor, riding in the Saint Patrick’s parade holding aloft a shillelagh, or the Irish war club. That is Chirish. And that is so Chicago because it took a lot of effort to get to that point. We Irish learned that other groups of people can be just as stubborn as we are. Ultimately, you have to admire it and want them to be part of the clan or join their clan.
As a musician playing Irish music for well over 50 years now, Saint Patrick’s was a herculean task of playing as many places as one could. It still is for me, as I will play over fifteen shows both public and private from this Monday to Monday, traveling from Illinois to Wisconsin to Iowa to Wisconsin and back to Illinois. And each place I will play there will be subtle differences in the way Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated. For some, the cultural aspects of being Irish--the stories, the music will be called for. Other places, it will be calling for a lot of energetic, Irish music to help keep the Guinness flowing and the party rolling. None of them are right or wrong as this holiday is a holiday that people are able to personalize. If there is any common denominator, it falls close to what that Chirish feeling is--it’s a notion of survival. Getting through the winter for starters. But getting through discrimination and persecution. That isn’t necessarily an Irish thing--indeed, we can witness what has happened in the world of late and understand that clearly. But that celebration of resilience, I think that might be the core value of the holiday. Here’s to another year of being Irish, Erin Go Bragh and Slainte. For a brief while, we can all celebrate--then it is back to testing our resilience.
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