One of my earliest memories is attending a St Patrick’s Day parade in Galway, put on with typical flair by the local street theatre company, Macnas. The parade told the story of Ireland’s succession of inhabitants: Cessair and her followers; Partholon and his family; the Nemedians; the Fir Bolg; the Tuatha Dé Danann; and finally the Milesians, the Gaelic Irish, the children of Míl Espáine. Each successive invading force leapt and laughed and advanced with wild energy. Coming right at the tail end of this procession was St Patrick, standing atop a float, wearing sunglasses and a plastic mitre, waving his arms in ridiculous benediction.
I have recently published a piece in lighter vein about my impression that modern Ireland is leaning into a supposed pagan past for its aesthetics in the withdrawal of explicitly religious iconography from our visual landscape.
My feeling is that the monetisation of this is a big mistake - these pagan myths are much more complicated and darker than the Jim Fitzpatrick aesthetic makes them out to be.
I've also watched the same parade in 1990 - I can still remember it!
I have recently published a piece in lighter vein about my impression that modern Ireland is leaning into a supposed pagan past for its aesthetics in the withdrawal of explicitly religious iconography from our visual landscape.
My feeling is that the monetisation of this is a big mistake - these pagan myths are much more complicated and darker than the Jim Fitzpatrick aesthetic makes them out to be.
I've also watched the same parade in 1990 - I can still remember it!
But I'd love to hear your opinion.
https://allthatssolid.substack.com/p/i-feel-it-in-my-fingers?r=2sx8q2