Top o’ the morning to you laddies! As you may well have known, this Monday was St. Patrick’s Day! In compliance with Davidson’s new cultural visibility initiative, The Yowl has decided to shine a spotlight on this beloved holiday with a special feature.
We began our morning around 10:00 a.m. interviewing a group of Ksig seniors enjoying several pitchers of cider at Nummit, where we asked how they were celebrating and expressing their love for Irish culture. Our first question received the following responses: “It’s St. Patrick’s Day?” and “My parents wouldn’t let me watch Spongebob.” This deeply concerned The Yowl. We had our work cut out for us. After giving a detailed history of St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland, from the Flight of the Earls to U2, the Ksig brothers seemed to have understood the weight of the holiday and expressed that they would have started drinking earlier if only they had known.
The next stop on our tour was meeting with several alumni of the Davidson Northern Ireland program. In the hope of fermenting old memories of their time abroad, we interviewed them in the middle of a field, a vista that would have been common to them during their travels.
The Yowl: “What was the most meaningful part of studying in Ireland?”
Alumni: “I think it was truly being able to return to the homeland and reclaim my Irish heritage.”
The Yowl: “Oh, you are Irish. Do you have family from Ireland?”
Alumni: “No but my grandfather used to drink Guinness and I kind of like it too.”
Sadly, this was the only information we got from the alumni beyond their discussions of going to bars, which were seemingly identical to American bars, though they insisted they were not.
We continued our search for someone who could tell us more about the meaning and significance of St Patrick’s Day at the Commons-themed meal. To our surprise, Commons was practically empty. When asked why no one wanted to eat the cultural meal of corned beef and boiled vegetables, one student made it clear how upset they were that the “woke left” was forcing students to eat more plant-based meat replacements, such as corn. The only other person in Commons was one man, doubled over and breathing heavily with several empty cups around him. He had drunk all the shamrock shakes in the cafeteria. His mouth was stained green and he had green ooze all over his shirt. When asked what St. Patrick’s Day meant to him, he said, “It is the first sign of spring, a time when people can ignore their family lineage and all be Irish for just one day. It is a day when people unite in the face of adversity and respond to oppression with a laugh and a song of defiance. St. Patrick’s Day is a day where you go outside and drink with strangers who, by wearing green, become your brothers.” Tears were in his eyes as he finished. Just then, a Commons employee said they were out of shamrock shakes. He grew silent, uttered “Tiocfaidh ár lá” and left.
It has become apparent that this campus has lost its connection with St. Patrick’s Day and must return to it. We are at risk of losing Irish culture and its offerings, such as potatoes and novels that don’t make sense. The Yowl wants readers to rally behind this holiday next year and return to traditional ways of celebration. Next year, The Yowl will host a car bombing of the British embassy in Charlotte and cohost the event “Yelling at Cops 101,” which will count as a personal and professional development EDU credit.