Happy St Patrick's Day

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Have a happy St Pat's day everyone.

 

for your viewing pleasure...

Chicago River Turning Green!

 

netizens

Even if you are not you’re Irish then you are sure to have heard of the Little People and in particular the Leprechauns of Ireland. Leprechauns are Ireland’s national fairy and were thought to have come from the south east of Eire. It is rather difficult to date their origins but the earliest literary reference to leprechauns was from the 12th century, in an Irish tale called 'The Death of Fergus MacLeite.” The etymology of leprechaun (Modern Irish: leipreachán) is also unclear and some authorities believe it derived from the Old Irish word “luchorpan” meaning, a very small body. Other experts think it was contrived from the Irish, ‘leath bhrogan’ or shoe maker (maker of brogues). Leprechaun first appeared in the English language about 1604 in Middleton and Dekker's “The Honest Whore.” The term referred to some kind of spirit but this was not specifically associated with the Irish mythological character. Around this time Europeans were fascinated with fairytales and influenced by their oral traditions most of the well known fairy stories were originally written in Italian, French or German and only eventually translated into English in the 19th century. Focus on Irish-Celtic mythology and in particular the Tuatha Dé Danann (the tales of the pre Christian Gods of Ireland) was part of this movement and by the 19th century the faerie folk of Ireland were well defined and illustrated. The Little People were divided into two groups i.e. the leprechaune and the cluricaun. Both were reclusive but only the leprechaune could be seen by humans. Leprechauns were thought to appear after a rain storm (hence the association with the rainbow) or at night.

The Little People were described in 19th century literature as:

...A wrinkled, wizen'd, and bearded Elf,
Spectacles stuck on his pointed nose,
Silver buckles to his hose,
Leather apron - shoe in his lap.

This description matches contemporary paintings of shoe makers. So it is likely the appearance of the Leprechaun was contemporised to suit the character of the traditional faerie folk. From antiquity shoemakers were always regarded as potentially dangerous people, partly because they worked in seclusion so no one really knew what they did. Their tools were known as “bones” and for their customers they either crafted exquisite footwear or not. So there was an element of magic about them which fairytales abound with example. In Ancient Rome many early converts to Christianity were disinherited and choose to work as sandal makers to maintain a living. This meant they could work at night (for many sandals were sold at night) and this let them spread the gospel during the day whilst appearing to sell their shoes. The popular Roman custom of decorating sandals with precious metal tacks was from time to time outlawed but like today, citizens clambered to wear the customised shoes, despite breaking the law. By the 12th Century shoemakers had formed guilds which were politically active with some individuals were considered dangerous ‘agent provocateurs’. Early etchings of shoemakers depicted them working solo and in poor conditions. Many were older men bespectacled and usually smoking clay pipes. A craftsman’s need for full concentration on the task and shoemakers were always depicted working on a lady’s shoe. The reason for this is lady's shoes were more difficult to make.

Leprechauns were originally described as wearing dandyish clothing with a cocked hat, red coat (not green), a leather (work) apron, woollen vest, knee breeches, long stockings and silver-buckled brogues. The reference to dandy or macaroni clothing probably had more to do with the upper crust customers shoemakers of the 18th century had to cater for. The Dandy was the Hooray Henry (or Hoon) of their day and dressed in the very best clothing with semi precious buckles on their shoes. It is said Leprechauns held the secret to the location of buried treasure (a crock of gold), which they would share only if you kept a close eye on them. This could easily be taken as a metaphor for a shoemaker who had the capability to make you walk on air but only when close scrutiny was maintained. In leprechaun culture there is no difference between commerce and thievery to them they are one of the same.

Leprechauns and human shoemakers drank (e.g. Souter Johnny in Tam O'Shanter) to excess which did not appear to affect their work but made them all the more likely to play mischief when they could. Today’s leprechauns wear green not red and have thick eyebrows, sloping heads and bushy red/auburn hair more reminiscent of a high primate than humans. This image is thought to have originated in the US and was based on the cruel political cartoonist of the 19th century when Ireland was in uproar and the English lampooned the 'rebels' with cartoon racial stereotypes. Rather like the Scots and 'haggis, heather and tartan' the modern Leprechaun image is a bastardisation of a cultural tradition and result of ill informed contemporisation.

What kind of legacy are we leaving ?

Top of the morning :morning:
toeslayer

 

St. Patrick's Day

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This one is for St Patrick's Day. Good luck to the Irish!!

Mick, from Dublin, appeared on 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'’ and towards the end of the program had already won 500,000 pounds.

You've done very well so far,' said Chris Tarrant, the show's presenter, 'but for a million pounds you've only got one lifeline left - phone a friend.

Everything is riding on this question......will you go for it?'

'Sure,' said Mick. 'I'll have a go!'

'Which of the following birds does NOT build its own nest?'


A: Sparrow
B: Thrush
C: Magpie
D: Cuckoo

I haven't got a clue,' said Mick, 'so I'll use me last lifeline and phone me friend Paddy back home in Dublin '.

Mick called up his mate and told him the circumstances and repeated the question to him.

'Fookin hell, Mick!' cried Paddy. 'Dat's simple......it's a cuckoo.'

'Are you sure?'

'I'm fookin sure.'

Mick hung up the phone and told Chris, 'I'll go wit Cuckoo as me answer.'

'Is that your final answer?' asked Chris

'Dat it is, Sir.'

There was a long, long pause, then the presenter screamed,

'Cuckoo is the correct answer! Mick, you've won 1 million pounds!'

The next night, Mick invited Paddy to their local pub to buy him a drink.

'Tell me, Paddy? How in Heaven's name did you know it was da Cuckoo that

doesn't build it's own nest?

'Because he lives in a Fookin clock!!!

:drinks

 

Which one is it:

a) racism
b) xenophobia
c) nationalism

I can never work out whether we are being any one of the above options (or perhaps a different one) when telling or laughing at 'Irish' jokes. Interesting these days that it's pretty much the only minority immigrant that the majority can consistently ridicule without fear of the PC brigade stepping in and moaning.

igs::bang::craig::boohoo:

 

Oh deary me

Looks like I gone n done it again!

Sorry to have offended anyone.

Thing is I just don't 'do' pc. :empathy:

Personally I was born in Bahrain, brought up in Aldershot (garrison town) both parents were scousers. Himself was born in Barnsley to an Irish Catholic mother & an athiest father.

Chuck owt thar wants at me. Theres plenty there to give you scope.

Xs & much love, Mand'

PS.

Possibly not an immigrant thing but potentially a minority. As employed taxpayers the British Govt. takes the p1ss out of us publicly on a regular basis.

 

Not to worry twirls, I'm sure anyone who's read a series of your previous posts would understand that you have no bad intentions and are an all round nice person.

Anyway, I can't take offence personally as I was only Irish for the day and have since emigrated.

Funny one though - how Irish jokes are prevalent but we never see hoards of Irish people getting insanely upset about it?

:drinks:drinks:drinks:drinks:drinks:drinks

 

bob

>Funny one though - how Irish jokes are prevalent but we never see hoards of Irish people getting insanely upset about it?

Not exactly true with several cases brought to court and won. The 'Irish 'joke so long the mainstay of the UK standup comedian died a death with the rise of the alternative comedians in the early 80s. PC made sure it was rarely spoken off in public until now perhaps. The Irish do tell stories about themself and the Kerryman is often the fall guy. The origin of Irish Jokes comes from racial distrust of the Irish by the English in the 18th and 19th century. An Irish tradition was to go barefoot and when Irish immigrants moved to Liverpool and Birmningham etc at the time of the Potato famine many were barefooted and going barefoot thereafter was consided 'un English.'

Its the way i tell 'em
toeslayer

 

Very interesting, and I like how you've made it podiatry-relevant. Whilst it's not exactly true (my original point), it is much more tolerated in my experience. I can never understand why.

I wonder if other nations have similar attempts at ridiculing foreigners, or if it's predominantly a British trait? I've seen rivalry between Aussies and Kiwis, and a bit of banter, but it seems much more common in Engerland. Or maybe that's because I reside there and have done for some time and I'm only talking about my own experience. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

bob

I was dragged up under the shadow of Billy Connolly in Glasgow and learned to tell a funny story early on in my schooling. To do otherwise would mean you got beaten up, frequently. I still have my original teeth. As a student teacher I was a bit pompous and took myself far too seriously so I created an alter ego and started to write gags for local comedians. That grew until I was regularly writing material for the radio. Being a keen student I started to read into anatomy of humour and found it a most fascinating subject. Part of the research was the humour of marginalisation. Every society under threat of infiltration will resort to marginalising the minority. This is true for the UK, US, Australia anywhere in the globe in fact and it is not restricted to modern times. On Hadrians' Wall there is scratched derogatory remarks about other members of the guard who were not true blue Romans. Historically in the US, Polish immigrants were the but of working class humour: the Irish, Jews, Pakistani and Indian people have all had their time of being the brunt of humour. But then historically so too were the French, Spanish and the Italians. Syphilis in the 15th century was known in England as The French Disease and Diabetes, the Jewish disease and to bring it back to podiatry, flat feel (pes planus) was referred to as the jewish foot. Needless to say cheap jibes which passed for humour abounded at the time.
Linguistic experts uphold the complixity of English means there is more opportunity to find humour in the language itslef with puns etc. but everyone laughs and humour is universal.

Moons ago I did paper on practitioner humour and compaired pods to medics. The findings did seem to uphold as a profession we seem to derive amusement at the expense of our clients and charges; as opposed to laughing with them.

Now that's not very funny.

Cheers
toeslayer




which became passe with political correctness.

 

I think it was a JOKE. Is anyone THAT sensitive (or should I say INTOLERANT?)

I recall when I moved from the East coast (New Jersey) to the midwest all the "ethnic" jokes were the same EXCEPT instead of Jews or Italians or blacks they were Polish or German.

So? I'm italian (and Greek) - I've never been that insecure that a joke actually hurt my feelings. Thank God (can I say that without insulting the atheists?

If we can't take a joke we're doomed.

It drives me crazy when people act so insecure about their own persona that a joke, not intended in any way other then to bring a smile to ones face, becomes the source of "outrage".......give me a break, get a thicker skin or, better yet, a sense of humor. You can't even draw a cartoon these days without having an entire nation of insecure intolerant fanatics almost declaring war on you.

Steve

 

Bob, is it another day to claim Irish nationality?

Congratulations to Ireland on claiming the rugby grand slam :drinks

Not a bad week all round for the Irish.

GB