Both Irish and non-Irish people around the world are celebrating St Patrick’s Day today – but despite the holiday being a time for celebration, it has exposed a bitter divide among people who call themselves Irish.
This weekend and today, revellers in America donned their finest green outfits and took to the streets to celebrate the Irish saint, with pubs packed out to capacity and Guinness taps drunk dry.
But many people born and raised in the island of Ireland have been left frustrated – and in some cases, offended – by the way US punters celebrate 17 March.
Many on social media have blasted Americans for referring to the event as ‘St Patty’s Day’, and for claiming to celebrate the day ‘bigger’ than revellers in Ireland.
With more than 30 million people in the US claiming to have Irish ancestry, Americans take St Patrick’s Day seriously – however as TikTok weighs in on the holiday, a divide has emerged – between people born and raised in Ireland and Irish-Americans.
In fact, the world’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in New York on 17 March 1762, featuring English military serving Irish soldiers.
The festivities soon became an annual celebration, with parties, parades and Guinness-fuelled bar crawls now taking place in cities across the States every single year. Meanwhile, around 30,000 Irish-born natives emigrate to the States each year.
But while nearly one in 10 Americans allege Gaelic roots, far fewer are impressed with the way the festivities go down.
But many Irish emigrants in America have been left frustrated and even ‘offended’ by the way their annual festival is celebrated in the US
Over the weekend and today, revellers in the US hit towns in waves of green to celebrate the Irish saints day, with pubs packed to capacity and celebrators knocking back copious quantities of Guinness
Earlier today, a news reel from the Irish broadcaster RTÉ shared celebrations from Chicago, where hundreds gathered to commemorate the day.
The city, which is located in the Midwestern state of Illinois, even makes an annual event of dyeing the river green, a tradition that dates back to 1962.
But, upon watching the reel on TikTok, many Irish people were left ‘offended’ by the American revellers in the clip – including one partygoer who said the celebrations in Chicago were ‘bigger than in Ireland’.
‘I think we have a bigger celebration of St Patrick’s Day in Chicago than in Ireland,’ one woman said in an American accent.
Commenting on the festivities in the Midwestern city, one American said she loved ‘the energy and people’ and said it was a ‘great time to be in Chicago – even if you’re not Irish’.
Several left comments on the video posted to TikTok by the news channel, with many Irelanders hitting out at the ‘cringy’ display.
‘If countries were humans I feel the US would stalk Ireland,’ one person joked while a second said revellers have ‘obviously not been on a night out in Belfast’.
‘In Ireland it’s an excuse for the drink, we don’t care about green rivers and parades,’ said another.
In another video, one Gallic native, Claire Cullen, took to TikTok to share the four things American’s say that ‘p**s Irish people off’ (pictured)
Earlier today, a news reel from the Irish broadcaster RTE shared celebrations from Chicago, where hundreds gathered to commemorate the day (pictured)
Dozens of others slammed people who made cameos in the news reel, insisting the celebrations were ‘much bigger’, in Ireland.
One Irish native who is currently living in New York shared a video advising Americans ahead of the big day. ‘As an Irish person living here, it’s Paddy’s Day, not Patty’s day, big distinction,’ she urged.
She also warned: ‘If an Irish man tries to convince you of something this weekend, don’t believe them – we lie for fun.’
In another video, one Irish native, Claire Cullen, took to TikTok to share the four things American’s say that ‘p**s Irish people off’.
‘Number one is calling a drink an Irish car bomb – inappropriate. We can make that joke, you can’t,’ she said.
Second on her list was referring to siblings as ‘Irish twins’ – which refers to two children born to the same mother within a 12-month period – which Claire said was ‘offensive’.
Third on her list was the ‘Irish goodbye’, often used to refer to people who slip out of social events early, which she said was actually ‘a houdini’.
‘An Irish goodbye takes at least an hour because you have to say goodbye to everyone individually,’ she protested.
But top of the list of annoying habits was calling St Patrick’s Day ‘St Patty’s Day’.
Many viewers of the clip were similarly outraged by what Claire called ‘Irish American micro-aggressions’, with one writing, ‘if I see another person say American celebrates St Patrick’s day more then Irish people.’
In another video, one Irelander, @3bucksleft_2, complained: ‘It’s Patrick’s Day, it’s not as the Yanks call it, “Patty’s Day”, it’s not as the Brits call it “Paddy’s Day”, it’s Patrick’s Day (pictured)
Among complaints made by Irish natives, one appearing to stoke the most frustration is Americans referring to the annual day as ‘St Patty’s’.
In another video, one Irishman @3bucksleft_2, complained: ‘It’s Patrick’s Day, it’s not as the Yanks call it, “Patty’s Day”, it’s not as the Brits call it “Paddy’s Day”, it’s Patrick’s Day.
‘We don’t call it Georgie’s Day in England, we don’t call it Davey’s Day in Wales. It’s Patrick’s Day – get it right,’ he fumed.
Other clips on the app reveal Americans decked in full greenery as they head to cities across the country to celebrate the annual day.
Extravagant revellery revealed jam packed parades, Leprechaun hats galore, and huge waving flags – all sounded to a backdrop of American accents.
One video posted to TikTok showed an Irish native mocking an American after she posted a video saying ‘I’m Irish and I forgot it’s St Patrick’s Day’.
One wrote under the video: ‘Americans pretending to be Irish is so funny’, while a second joked ‘Her great great great grandfather had a Guinness one time so now she’s Irish I guess.’
Despite some Americans boasting bigger celebrations than anywhere else, a vox pop from revellers in Boston in the US revealed that a number of celebrators were unable to name three Irish cities.
In the clip, a patron interviewed multiple partygoers, challenging them to name three Gallic cities – but none could.
One youngster wearing a foam Leprechaun hat claimed to have Irish heritage but stammered when faced with answering whether he knew a city other than Dublin.
