With the cultural holiday of St. Patrick’s Day fast approaching, UTM’s pastiest peers are preparing themselves for the “ignorant” celebrations and seasonal claims of Irish ancestry.
Finn McConnor, president of The Irish Society of UTM, is proud of his heritage, yet disappointed at what he calls “cultural appropriation.”
McConnor told The Medium, “My ancestors hail from the great district of Mayo, Ireland. I have Mayo in my blood. So, when I see people celebrate St. Paddys Day it can feel a bit hypocritical. When I drink a six pack in the morning and a bottle of wine before bed, I’m ‘hurting the people who love me’ and ‘not the man’ she ‘fell in love with,’ but when they do it on March 17th they’re ‘37 per cent Irish.’”
“It’s a bit offensive to see people donning Irish flags for one day, yet I am susceptible to sunburns 365 days a year. It’s just not fair,” second year student Liam O’Brien shared with The Medium over a pint. “Everyone’s cool sharing a Guinness, but when I start beating my wife, it’s ‘taking it too far.’ They wouldn’t know Irish culture if it hit them in the face.”
After alerting O’Brien that domestic abuse shouldn’t be part of a culture, the disgruntled Irishman told us to go “kiss rocks.” When told that the term was “kick rocks,” he told us to “go blow the blarney.”
“It’s easy enough to order a shamrock shake but what have you done to chase the snakes out of your home?” Ciara Murphy said to The Medium. “It’s important to educate UTM on the richness of Irish culture. That’s why the Irish Society will be having a workshop on how to properly pronounce Saoirse Ronan’s name and a Niall Horan listening session, followed by a Bono impersonator who will help us in serving boiled potatoes and cabbage. Careful, it’s spicy!”