The Irish

St. Patrick's Day has just come and gone, leaving me wondering what I know about the Irish. I know I'm not one of them. I suppose that I'm against them in a sense, in that my father's side is English. That's something I know, that there's historical enmity between the Irish and the English. These days, I guess the Catholic Irish are against the English and the Protestant Irish are for. Then again, The Troubles mainly seem to be past with some exceptions.

Ireland seems to be rather beautiful, but has doled out a considerable amount of hardship to its native sons and daughters. Boy, I love potatoes, but what that blight did to the Irish... In recent years a leaner and meaner Ireland was cleaning up on the world economy, but currently, they're hurting as badly as any first-world nation.

The Irish have a certain reputation for drinking and fighting, but I've never seen evidence to suggest that they're any more disposed to those activities than anyone else. I do enjoy their spirits, though. On the positive side, I do know they've made considerable contributions to the arts, though I'd be hard pressed to say what most of them are.

I guess that's most of what I know.