St. Patrick's Day
How many people actually know why St. Patrick gets his own holiday? A bunch know the story about driving all the snakes out of Ireland, but it's amazing how many don't even know that cleaned-up, Disney-fied, family-friendly version.
Of course, the problem with that story is that there haven't been any snakes in Ireland since the last ice age, close to 10,000 years ago. But you should never let facts get in the way of a good story. Or something.
So what's he really famous for? It wasn't the snakes that he eradicated, it was the druids. He went on an Inquisition-style crusade and forced all of the druids in Ireland to either convert to Christianity or die. Of course, there were a bunch who took the unspoken third option, of taking it underground, as well.
So here we are, celebrating a holiday for a Hitler- or Stalin-like genocidal mass murderer. But apparently the fact that he was Catholic (and a bishop, at that) makes it all kosher. Or something. Things to think about when you're out getting sozzled on green beer tomorrow night.
Of course, the problem with that story is that there haven't been any snakes in Ireland since the last ice age, close to 10,000 years ago. But you should never let facts get in the way of a good story. Or something.
So what's he really famous for? It wasn't the snakes that he eradicated, it was the druids. He went on an Inquisition-style crusade and forced all of the druids in Ireland to either convert to Christianity or die. Of course, there were a bunch who took the unspoken third option, of taking it underground, as well.
So here we are, celebrating a holiday for a Hitler- or Stalin-like genocidal mass murderer. But apparently the fact that he was Catholic (and a bishop, at that) makes it all kosher. Or something. Things to think about when you're out getting sozzled on green beer tomorrow night.