I am half-Irish...my Mom was born near Dublin, and her family moved here in the late 50s. I am an Irish citizen (automatic because of my Mom), and even have an Irish passport from when I traveled through Europe several years ago.

Having said all this, I find St. Patrick's Day a bit of a downer. First of all, I find it quite insulting that so many people use it as an excuse to get absolutely wasted. I'm no prude, and I understand wanting to have fun, but St. Patrick's Day is a meaningful, important day for people of Irish decent. Seeing a bunch of college kids use it as an excuse to wear big stupid hats, talk in phony accents, and start drinking at 11am is quite annoying.

Ireland has a long, often tragic history, and St. Patrick's Day is meant to commemorate that. Yet so many people co-opt this past, pretend that they were part of it, and then drink themselves stupid. How did it get this way?

Not to mention that this day also reminds me of my increasing disconnection with my roots. My Mom's parents died over a decade ago, and my Mom doesn't like to talk about them (her Dad was an alcoholic, and her Mom's death was very hard on her - she died suddenly while my Mom was on vacation, so she never got a chance to say goodbye). I feel guilty for not appreciating my roots when I was younger and would have had a better chance to explore them.

Anyway, I just wanted to get some thoughts out, and see if anyone else felt similarly.