I was disappointed that the Gazette would feature a photo of a recent St. Patrick’s Day event, never mind on the front page, of a guest speaker with a comical green hat before him and a gallon jug of green liquid in his hand. [“An Irish celebration: St. Patrick’s breakfast brings hundreds together for laughs and honors,” Gazette, March 17].
Many among us have long been frustrated by such examples of offensive stereotyping of people with Irish roots. That the man happens to have the same name as my long deceased father who never touched a drink in his life, was parodying the recent phenomenon of students drinking “borgs” made the photo all the more irritating.
Perhaps those who tout their Irishness one week each year, often with embarrassing, if not harmful results, should know better the identities or their Irish ancestors and the stories of the struggles they endured. Read a bit of history. Listen to some traditional music. Visit the land where sitting in the best room before a turf fire while enjoying a night of mighty conversation and laughter remain a core of the Irish culture. But, please stop encouraging others to think that Irish heritage is all about bawdy jokes and getting drunk.
Rita (O’Connor) Burke
Amherst