On St. Patrick's Feast

I get to celbrate St. Patrick's feast twice. Yep, I celebrated last night and this evening I will be going to Gethsemane Cathedral's St. Patrick's Day feast. Hopefully Phil will have more quotable moments.

Last nights festivities included in addition to food and stout, trivia, music, and a movie. I was the music. I still am not very good at playing those Irish ditties. I need to practice more.
Our Irish film for the evening was Angela's Ashes. It was based on the Frank McCourt book of the same title. I never read the book but had read a synopsis summary of it once. Actually I almost bought it at the second hand store once.
Anyways the book being a memoir of sorts, the movie is rather episodic. One event after another that shapes Frank. Quite an eery look at poverty in Ireland in the days leading up to WWII. You just hope the family can escape it. Eventually he gets the money (somewhat dubiously) and returns to the United States. And by the way there is nudity and sex.
Here are a few observations I made on the film:

• Classism existed. I knew there were Protestant/Catholic tensions but the classism I did not anticipate. Even amongst the Catholics and those who should be showing mercy there was a discrimination. Also there were prejudices between those from the North and South.
• Catholicism a coping mechanism and not necessarily a living faith. Seemed that adherance to Catholicism helped people to cope with their lives. God, the Sacred Heart, baby Jesus- they were turned to only in bad circumstances. I applaud the Irish desire to honor God but it seemed like a faith of convenience. Frank would go to confession but later would continue in the same habits. He was conscietious but not fully devoted which paralleled his father.
• The state of the family in Ireland was miserable. Frank's father was pitiful but you just wish he'd take some responsibility. He was a victim of discrimination and it affected his role as a father. He probably felt worthless and thus drank away his sorrows and abandoned the family.
• Limerick is wet. It think it raining about half the movie. It made the slums look drizzrable (new word meaning raining and miserable).

Well, have a happy St. Patrick's Day. Ireland forever!