Irish immigrants have had a significant influence on the history of New York and the surrounding areas. One of the lingering effects is that Saint Patrick’s Day has become a day on which almost everyone, regardless of ethnicity, takes pride in being “Irish for a day.” Unfortunately, this generally translates into nothing more than wearing green, drinking a lot of green beer, and wearing “Kiss me, I’m Irish!” buttons as a way to get a little guilt-free touch from strangers.

Folks should at least learn a little bit more about the Irish as a way to celebrate. Most of us adore an Irish accent (I know it makes me a bit weak in the knees!), though trying to imitate it is a daunting prospect: most mangle it beyond recognition. A better place to start would be a bit of slang that they could pick up to impress their friends over a jar of the black stuff (a pint of Guinness). Continue reading →