Vivo O Sonho

My parents were both born in Belfast, Northern Ireland but St. Patrick’s day was never celebrated in our house. Why, you ask? Because we are proud Orange-Irish! (Or British, or English, depending on who you ask.)

Growing up, my sister Jacqueline and I were NEVER allowed to wear green to school. We would try to sneak out the door and Daddy would turn us about saying, “No child of mine is wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day. Go and put on your orange.” No matter how we pleaded about getting pinched, Daddy was always true to his heritage. And I passed that on to my children and grandchildren.

And just what is the difference between “Orange” and “Green” Irish? The easy answer is “Orange” is Protestant and “Green” is Catholic. The hard answer is a deep delve into a long-standing battle for political power that has little to do with religion, in my humble opinion. What follows is my own take on it, provided by stories handed down by my Nana and Daddy and a bit of research. I’m not trying to sugar-coat any of it; the Irish have shed far too much blood in the name of so-called “pride.”

And now, for your reading pleasure and education, my annual explanation on why this 100% Irish, first generation American, wears Orange on St. Patrick’s Day.

A Brief History of the Convoluted Difference Between Being “Orange” and “Green” Irish

Somewhere around the 5th Century, Christianity was brought to Ireland by a British missionary, Bishop Patrick, who became the patron saint of Ireland long after his death. Irish natives were polytheistic and worshipped several gods and goddesses of what was called the Tuatha De Danann. It was a pastoral religion that centered around nature, fertility and the harvests.

At that point in time, Britain was under Catholic rule and the King forced all natives to convert to Roman Catholicism, which is still the predominate religion in Ireland today. Their celebrations were allowed to be woven into the new religion, hence the introduction of evergreen decorations (including a tree) from their pagan Yule into the Christmas holiday. 

Fast forward to the 17th Century. A large immigration of English and Scottish farmers settled in northern Ireland and established a Protestant stronghold, encouraged by the British faction that was working to oust the Catholic monarchy.

King James, a staunch Catholic who commissioned the English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England which is still widely used today, was crowned monarch of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1685, angering the Protestant majority in Britain. Prince William of Orange, nephew to King James and married to James’ daughter Mary, garnered the support of influential political and Protestant leaders and led an invasion of England in 1688, taking the crown from his father-in-law. (This must have created interesting pillow talk!) He was named King of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1689.

The Catholic majority of Ireland refused to accept the new King. Deposed King James and his Catholic supporters attempted to take back the crown in a bloody battle in 1690 famously known as the “Battle of the Boyne.” King William handily beat his father-in-law and also put into force many changes to the monarchy. This marked the beginning of the change from personal rule of the Stuarts towards a Parliament rule in Britain that still exists. 

An interesting side note: William named his wife Mary, born and raised Catholic, as co-sovereign in an attempt to ease political tension. This wasn’t just a move in name only, though. They reigned together and she was regarded as an important voice until her death in 1694. 

So what does all this fighting over religion and territory have to do with being “Orange?”

The meaning behind the orange comes from the Orange Order, a fraternal organization established in 1795 to protect the Protestant ascendancy in the monarchy established by King William. Because he was born Prince of Orange, orange became synonymous with the Protestants both in name and colour. To this day, Protestants commemorate the Battle of the Boyne on July 11th with bonfires and July 12th with parades and much fanfare and lots of wearing ‘o’ the orange.

A hundred years plus passed, amidst much more political and religious strife. A LOT of strife and needless loss of life. 

Finally, in 1921, Ireland officially split into two republics: Ireland with its own government, and Northern Ireland which is governed by the United Kingdom. This split, unfortunately, didn’t heal the tension that it had hoped to achieve and still exists to this day. It did allow for independence for Ireland and its people.

The Irish flag, designed in 1848 and adopted as the national flag of Ireland in 1921, consists of three stripes: orange for the Protestants, green for the Catholics, and a white strip in between signifying the hope for Peace. The British flag combines the red cross of of St George of the Kingdom of England, the white saltire of St Andrew for Scotland, and the red saltire of St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland.

As often happens in politics and religion though, much of the fighting is between “leaders” who posture for positions of power. Yes, there are still car-bombings and fighting in the name of religion. All of my maternal and paternal family, with the exception of my sister and me and our children and our Grands, live in Northern Ireland and England. My aunt and uncle and cousins all have friends and neighbors who are Catholic and get along just fine, celebrating both holidays in peace.

So, being a proud descendant of Protestants from Northern Ireland, I will be wearing my orange today, but will also raise a toast to all of my green-wearing Catholic Irish friends. Peace does exist in the middle.

And now you know that not all Irish wear green on St. Patrick’s Day! (And why my Sister, Kids & Grandkids BETTER be sporting some Orange today in honour of John Benson and Nana Hanna! 😉)

For a really awesome corned beef recipe, check out my blogpost: GO To Tuesday: Baked Mustard Crusted Corned Beef & Roasted Veggies.

One last fun fact: Corned beef is NOT a true Irish food or traditionally eaten on St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. It is an Irish-American custom that was started by poor immigrants on the east coast. Brisket was an inexpensive cut of meat readily available in the Jewish butcher shops. The predominately poor families replaced the costly bacon with brisket in their traditional “bacon and cabbage” dish. Cabbage and potatoes were common staples in in Ireland ant most families raised their own pigs which was no longer the case in their cramped city life in America. To make the tough cut more palatable, it was boiled with the vegetables.

BUT, drinking on St. Patrick’s day IS a most definitely an Irish tradition. It was originally started on the first anniversary of the death of St. Patrick on March 17, 465 C.E. This occasion was in the middle of Lent, a period of fasting and strict religious observance where partaking of alcohol was prohibited. St. Patrick was beloved by the Irish and in traditional Irish fashion, no celebration of death, whether at a wake or an anniversary of a passing, is complete without raising many toasts, tables overflowing with food, music and much laughter. So for this one day during Lent, the Irish put their piety aside and drank enough to get them through the last weeks of Lent. There is one big exception: you’ll never find any self-respecting Irishman, be him or her Orange or Green, drinking a green beer!

An Irish Toast:

To Abundance. May your glass be ever full. May the roof over your head be always strong. And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead.

(Personal note: my son, Harley was born on July 11th. He was given the middle name of “Benson” in honor of my father and his Orange heritage. My daughter was named Meghan from the Celtic/Irish spelling of the name derived from the ancient clan Meeghan and means “brave warrior.” Her middle name, Elizabeth, is after the Queens of England.)

Originally posted: March 17, 2019. Updated on March 17, 2023.