By: Sarah Sheafer <[email protected]>

As senior Katie O’Connor sat on the stone fence in front of her cousin’s bed and breakfast and looked out at Dingle Bay in Ireland, she felt the sea-air blowing. At that moment, she said all she could think about was her grandfather.

“I never had the chance to meet him, but his decisions had an enormous impact on the privileged life I have now,” O’Connor said. “My grandfather grew up on the farm. He was supposed to inherit it, but he chose to come to the States in 1925. I think we go so often (to Ireland) because my dad can visit his father there in a spiritual way.”

O’Connor is half Irish and, because St. Patrick’s Day is approaching, she said that the holiday means more to those of Irish descent than most people assume. “I think you have to be Irish to have pride in the culture and what the Irish had to endure when they came to the United States. Also, if St. Patrick’s Day meant the same thing to Irish and non-Irish, it would be known more for its religious aspects than for its partying,” she said.

Social studies teacher Peter O’Hara said that the reason why Irish are so proud of their heritage on this holiday is because they do not want to lose sight of their ancestors. He said, “When the Irish moved here, the immigrant groups clanned together because in Ireland they had lived like that. But eventually we became the melting pot. No one is full Irish anymore.”

O’Hara also said that traditions during this holiday keep the past alive. Even though he’ll be in school teaching on Monday, he said, “I’ll still wear my green socks.” Along with this, his family sends out funny St. Patrick’s Day cards to each other. Some might even eat certain foods, such as corned beef and cabbage.

In O’Connor’s family, they also follow traditions for the holiday. “If St. Patrick’s Day falls on a weekend, we go to a St. Patrick’s Day party in Ohio with my cousins. If it falls during the week, we celebrate at home with a nice dinner. Last year we went to a party in Ohio along with thousands of other Irish people. There were step dancers, fiddlers and bag-pipers,” she said. “I usually wear my Ciarrai Gaelic football jersey.”

According to O’Hara. St. Patrick’s Day is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. His birth place is disputed but it is known that he was kidnapped and sold as a slave in Ireland. Eventually he escaped back to Britain, but then returned to Ireland as a missionary. He is attributed with converting Ireland to Christianity.

O’Connor said, “Unofficially, it’s the one day in the year that all the non-Irish can pretend they are Irish.”

Both O’Connor and O’Hara said they are proud of their heritage, and O’Hara also said that St. Patrick’s Day is not necessarily just partying. It’s a time to reconnect with one’s heritage

O’Connor said, “The odds weren’t exactly in favor of an immigrant family during the Great Depression era, but my grandfather and grandmother O’Connor worked hard to provide for their children. Because of their sacrifices I am able to have the life I have today. I am proud of my Irish heritage because I am proud to be an O’Connor. Their choices allowed me to have all the wonderful opportunities I have today as an American.”