Met a friend the other day in Galway who usually takes a prominent role in the local St Patrick days Parade but he informed me that he wouldn’t be taking part this year as he had already gone as Elvis last year and he couldn't decide what contribution to make this year. I wasn’t sure if this was because of local peoples’ inability to see the connection between Elvis (who bought the land to grace i.e. Graceland?) and St Patrick (who brought ‘grace’ to the land?). Hang on in there, I don’t get it either. However, he didn’t seem to feel any need to explain the tenuous link he imagined between the King (of the Blues) and the Saint (of the Greens). However, upon further reflection, I realised that this in fact is the root cause of our national identity crisis at the moment. Of course, there is nothing wrong with us as a people covering ourselves in the most vile shades of green ‘puke’ like colours, shady leprechaun hats and other outlandish costumes and leaping around in a state of unbridled animation like some sort of demented creatures from the Land of Nod, as this is all expected of us and indeed has now become part of our ‘treasured’ cultural identity. But when we begin to impersonate the King of Cool as part of our national psyche, I feel that we are indeed going too far. It is like a snake, (in this case a V.I.P .er!) slithering into our lovely Parade with venomous intent.You see when we put on our ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, check in at the ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ and act like a ‘Hound Dog’ on the Streets, in a vain attempt to celebrate the memory of our exalted National Saint, we are in real danger of ending up as the ‘Devil in Disguise’. Aha! Aha!
For my own part I would never stoop so low, but I must admit that I am considering a role as Bob Dylan in next Years parade. For you who may also be doubtful as to the connection between the Bob and the Job, don’t worry, I have spent years studying his lyrics and there is a definite Irish religious overtone to even his most obscure songs. I need only refer to ‘Tangled up in Green’, Gotta Serve Someone (obviously St Patrick) and ‘Under the Green Sky’ as examples of the great Saints influence on his work. For those still not convinced may I just humble add as validation:
‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right’
See you at next year’s parade.
For my own part I would never stoop so low, but I must admit that I am considering a role as Bob Dylan in next Years parade. For you who may also be doubtful as to the connection between the Bob and the Job, don’t worry, I have spent years studying his lyrics and there is a definite Irish religious overtone to even his most obscure songs. I need only refer to ‘Tangled up in Green’, Gotta Serve Someone (obviously St Patrick) and ‘Under the Green Sky’ as examples of the great Saints influence on his work. For those still not convinced may I just humble add as validation:
‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right’
See you at next year’s parade.
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