I see your point digdug. I am also of Irish decent and our family gatherings all included great quantities of alcohol. I come from a long line of professional drinkers. I am not saying all Irish people are this way of course, but I think that's how this tradition started. If there's one thing you can say about us it is that we sure know how to throw a party!

But think about it for just a minute, when the Irish came to America they were poor, uneducated and unskilled but also fearless and hardworking. They were concidered the lowest of the low. Over the years our celebration of St. Patrick's day has been embraced by the mainstream.

People are offended by stereotypes, but the majority of my family are still police officers, have a very strong sense of family and devout Catholics. Most are heavy drinkers although thankfully some are recovering. And when we have a family reunion, there will be at least one physcial fight. Although God protect an outsider that attempts to step in because the fight between the family will end as quickly as it started and the outsider will bear the brunt. But I absolutely guarantee if you went to Ireland and found family there, no matter how distant they would embrace you with open arms as if they've known you their whole life.

When I was 15 and working at a resort a distant cousin started waitressing there. The owner's daughter asked how we were related and to be perfectly honest until that point neither of us had ever pondered our connection. We knew we were cousins and that was good enough for us. A quick calculation brought us to my maternal great-grandfather and her maternal grandmother were brother and sister. The owner's daughter replied "well then you're not really related then are you?" We both looked at her as if she was nuts. It was amazing to us that other people do not recognize these type of connections as being relatives.