«Luck» out for each other

While waiting for the traffic lights in Madrid to turn green, I took the opportunity to wish the homeless woman who was selling chewing gum, by the side of the road, a «Feliz dia de San Patricio» and bought some mint chewing gum for €10.

I´m sure Saint Patrick wouldn’t mind me sharing a little luck-of-the-Irish on Saint Patrick´s Day but as an immigrant in a land unfamiliar with the story of Saint Patrick, I feel very fortunate to be welcomed with a céad míle fáilte (thousand welcomes) by our Spanish neighbours.

Even though Spain is a Catholic country with many religious festivals, Spain has had very little time for Saint Patrick and this year, I was asked to educate my school about Ireland´s patron saint.

Father´s Day in Spain, the feast of San Jose, celebrates Saint Joseph on the 19th of March so there is little time to celebrate the two saints.

Making time this year with Irish flags and stories about Saint Patrick, I decided to colour the water green in the staff room, Just like the America celebration, where they turn the Chicago River green.

All over the world, there will be many celebrations and most will focus on alcohol while some will wear silly green hats, myself included and some will wonder, what does Saint Patrick mean to us today? Something to think about as you drive to school.

For me, Saint Patrick was firstly an immigrant brought to Ireland by pirates which makes the story of our 4th-century saint even more universal as we look at the tragedy of forced migration in the Mediterranean and the horrors of human trafficking today.

For me, turning the water green in my school and telling stories about Saint Patrick is very entertaining but not everyone has been as lucky as we are today and the Irish certainly didn’t always have as much luck.

In the words of Kermit the Frog, «It’s not easy being green», but with the world turning green on March 17th and the Irish Prime Minister visiting the White House and many people receptive to all things Irish. This year, if you can’t be lucky, create some luck for someone else, find meaning in the story of Saint Patrick, Let´s help each other and Stay lucky.

Morgan Fagg