FEATURE
BEST OF MARCH 2021
SHAMROCK STYLE With St. Patrick’s Day on March 17, students, teachers talk about Irish culture, stereotypes at CHS CHENYAO LIU STORY
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MAYLEE O’BRIEN SUBMITTED PHOTOS
espite growing up in the United States, senior Maylee O’Brien always felt connected to her Irish heritage. “A couple years ago, my family visited Ireland and it was probably my favorite trip of all time,” she said. “It was absolutely beautiful, and (it) allowed me to feel connected to my roots.” IB psychology teacher Peter O’Hara also said he felt Irish culture is an important part of his life. “In a very prevalent spot in (my) house, I have my coat of arms. We have my personal coat of arms on mugs. We celebrate our Irish heritage just by the way we carry ourselves in our discussions,” he said. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 34.5 million Americans
DID YOU KNOW? St. Patrick’s Day was created to honor its namesake who banished snakes from Ireland and taught the Irish about the Holy Trinity, represented by the three-leaf clover or shamrock. The snakes symbolized the conversions of Pagans to Christians. SOFTSCHOOL SOURCE
claim to have Irish ancestry, a number seven times larger than the population of Ireland itself. In fact, modern St. Patrick’s Day celebrations didn’t begin in Ireland but in America, as a way for Irish-Americans to remember their identity while staying patriotic to their new
SCENIC VIEW: Senior Maylee O’Brien poses in front of Kylemore Abbey, a famous historical museum in Ireland. O’Brien took a trip to Ireland in the summer of 2018 to visit. She said, ”This was my favorite location in the tour. The picture hardly captures the pure serenity of standing in the middle of such beauty.”
country. In modern times St. Patrick’s Day acts as a day to celebrate Irish culture. The holiday’s popularity and importance eventually led the U.S. Congress to proclaim March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1991. “St. Patrick’s Day is good because it brings (Irish culture) out to the forefront,” O’Hara said. “My grandfather would tell the story about how his father came from Ireland, and they were (coal) miners and did a lot of work on building railroads. They were able to work themselves up to being pretty prominent citizens. (St. Patrick’s Day) reminds everyone that (people from Ireland) had a big stake in creating our country.”
