Editor's Corner

Oh my goodness. I just wrote about Mardi Gras and now we’re coming up to St. Patrick’s day on Monday. The time machine is moving so quickly, and I just can’t seem to catch up.

I did a bit of research on Irish traditions and folklore for a department project, and I’ll share some of the things I learned. First, details about the name of St. Patrick’s Day from Merriam-Webster.

Random people asked the dictionary folks if it should be “St. Patrick’s Day, St. Patty’s Day, or St. Paddy’s Day.” I’m filtering the responses for you.

1. Don’t ever call it St. Patty’s Day. Patty is a nickname for Patricia, and the patron saint of Ireland was a dude. He supposedly drove the snakes out of Ireland and into the sea, among other things.
2. It could be considered an insult, so don’t call it St. Paddy’s Day, either. Since the 1700s, “Paddy has been used in English as a disparaging name for an Irishman or, in informal British English, as ‘a fit of temper.’” If you have to shorten it, use St. Pat’s Day.
3. Feast days named after saints use the saint’s proper name. In this case, the Irish version (Pádraig) or Patrick is preferred.

Moving on to some things unrelated to what to call the day…the saying is that if you don’t wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, people can give you a pinch. Remember Human Resources and the round-house kick before you try something like this.

Corned beef and cabbage are the traditional foods for the day. Irish beer and whisky are the traditional drinks. Vegans and non-drinkers, there are options out there, but you might want to sit this one out.

Leprechauns! My first recommendation is Sean Connery’s debut (as the main star) in Darby O’Gill and the Little People. (1957) Fun film.

I also read something yesterday that said leprechauns carry two pouches. One holds a silver coin and the other holds a gold coin. The silver coin can be given to anyone—but it always returns to the leprechaun’s pouch. The gold coin can be used for the leprechaun to get out of trouble, which apparently happens a lot when people capture them and try to find their pots of gold. They cleverly convince the captor they’ll give them a taste of gold by giving them the coin. When the person looks away, the leprechaun disappears (since that is one of their special tricks). The gold coin then turns to ash.

I hope you have a fun St. Patrick’s Day!

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

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