The Wearing of the Green: A History of St Patrick's Day [Paperback]

Daryl Adair (Author), Mike Cronin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0415359120 | ISBN-13: 978-0415359122 | Edition: 1 New

The full history of St. Patrick's day is captured here for the first time in The Wearing of the Green.

Illustrated with photos, the book spans the medieval origins, steeped in folklore and myth, through its turbulent and troubled times when it acted as fuel for fierce political argument, and tells the fascinating story of how the celebration of 17th March was transformed from a stuffy dinner for Ireland's elite to one of the world's most public festivals.

Looking at more general Irish traditions and Irish communities throughout the world, Mike Cronin and Daryl Adair follow the history of this widely celebrated event, examining how the day has been exploited both politically and commercially, and they explore the shared heritage of the Irish through the development of this unique patriotic holiday.

Highly informative for students of history, cultural studies and sociology, and an absolute delight for anyone interested in the fascinating and unique culture of Ireland.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The authors, both historians (Cronin wrote A History of Ireland), trace the annual March 17 festivities back to the fifth century when St. Patrick converted the pagan Irish to Christianity in this dry, lifeless account of the origins and development of the holiday in Ireland, America, Australia, Canada and Britain. Originally a day of commemoration for the saint (believed to have died on the 17th), St. Patrick's Day began in America with, surprisingly,Protestants. The 18th-century American celebrants included Irish officers in the British army, and their festivities revolved around feasting and dancing. It wasn't until the 19th century, with its vast influx of Irish Catholics fleeing the great famine, that parades became popular. Among the Irish diaspora, St. Patrick's Day parades became a means for the Irish to announce their growing influence in the host countries. Later, the parades became both politicized and commercialized. While the well-known parades in New York, Boston and Melbourne display Irish pride, they also have their darker sides: "The modern St Patrick's Day," the authors contend, "appears as an annual homage to hedonistic celebration and alcohol" and has tended to be an occasion for trotting out unpleasant stereotypes of the Irish as loud, drunken and pugnacious. The parade in Dublin, however, has long been used to promote tourism and Irish industries (especially Guinness). Though the authors insist that St. Patrick's Day is an important lens for viewing Irish history, their claim simply doesn't hold up, nor will those interested in the subject find anything particularly new or interesting here.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

'An inventive, delightful, and percipient book which uses the national feast day as a means to examine the texture and drama of the history of the Irish wherever they might find themselves.' - Thomas Keneally

'The most complete history we are ever likely to have of [St Patrick's Day] ... a work of popular history that is readable, entertaining, challenging, provocative, well-written and thoroughly researched.' - Joseph O'Connor

'A fascinating exploration of what has become one of the world's most public and internationally celebrated festivals.' - Visitor

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 New edition (December 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415359120
• ISBN-13: 978-0415359122
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Holidays

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Festival of fun has complex past, August 14, 2002

By 

"craicqueen" (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wearing of the Green: A History of St Patrick's Day (Hardcover)

Seems surprising that an Englishman and an Australian have written the first history of Ireland's national day! No offence guys - I really like your book. Cronin and Adair are academics, so this is a serious and wide-ranging study. It looks at the rise of the legend of St Patrick, commemoration of the 17th of March in Ireland, and its export with Irish migrants to England, USA, Canada, and Australia. The book raises important questions about the politics of celebrating "Irishness", particularly at key moments of tension in Irish history, such as the 1916 rebellion and the 1970s Troubles. But it is also a tale of mirth and joy, for St Patrick's Day has always been an occasion for merriment and good cheer. Some of the stories will leave you laughing and scratching your head. For example, an Arab troupe once marched in a Montreal parade and won first prize for best entrant. Today the St Pat's festival in Dublin is a HUGE event, which, as Cronin and Adair explain, emerged directly out of Dublin Tourism. St Patrick is still there somewhere, midst the craic and booze. This is a big book, but it has sections about St Pat's Day in different parts of the world at different times. So you can either read the whole thing or pick and choose the bits you fancy. As for me, this book has helped me to understand why St Pat's Day is such a big deal. And it has helped me to appreciate the history of the Irish wherever they have migrated.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glorious Green, February 14, 2002

By 

tom o'kelly (new york) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wearing of the Green: A History of St Patrick's Day (Hardcover)

I was sent this as a gift ready for St Patrick's Day, and to be honest wasn't sure that there was much to know about 17th March. But wait, this book rocks. It's great, full of anicdotes, reads really well, and kept me full of stories for my Irish friends for days. If you do nothing else this St Patrick's Day, grab a Guinness, put your feet up and read this book. Once you've read this you'll realise that, sure, it's a darlin day to be Irish!