Patrick S Day

In Paddington, the poorest of London's Irish neighborhoods, my father ran a pub, and the customers referred to Sean Patrick Darcy fondly and reverently as "Himself. " On any Sunday the bar would be packed after Mass, and one or another of the "navvies" - the scornful English term for the young Irishmen who came over to London to find work on construction sites - would join the ceili band on the dais to sing a melancholy Irish ballad (are there any other kind?). St. Patrick's Day was always different, for it was the one day in the year that Himself would favor us with a song.

THERE WAS the usual sea of kilts, bagpipes and shamrocks. But St. Patrick's Day observances here and across the country also included moments of quiet reflection and somber remembrance. Under a threatening gray sky and stiff breeze, Philadelphia's 51st annual parade was highlighted by the appearance of New York City fire and rescue workers who are still searching at Ground Zero for missing colleagues six months after the terrorist attacks. At the parade finale at Logan Circle, about 20 rescue workers stood with their heads bowed, their hats held over their hearts, as the Keystone State Boys Choir of Philadelphia sang the Star Spangled Banner.

IT'S BEEN said that what you do in life echoes in eternity. Imagine the echoes for teachers like Mark Citron and James Hooker, both in their early 40s, who are accused of having sexual affairs with their students. Regardless of the outcome of their cases, both will have a standing reservation and a special place in Hell for what they have done. It is because of alleged bums like these that good male teachers are constantly looked down upon for the good things that we do with our students.

The two most recent films from Ireland - Angela's Ashes and Agnes Brown - have pivoted on abject poverty. Since St. Patrick's Day is coming, why not celebrate the Irish who struck it rich - or so they thought? Waking Ned Devine, released two years ago, is one of the most engaging Irish comedies in a long time. With the death of Ned Devine, the population of the village of Tully More is reduced to just 52. Clutched in his lifeless hand is a winning lottery ticket worth millions.

Sam Cole, 58, has been a Philadelphia cabbie for 35 years. He's not Irish, but his wife, Annie, is. St. Patrick's Day? That's every day in this shamrocked cab. The sign reads: "One hundred thousand welcomes. " The couple is retiring to County Tyrone on March 29.

There was as much marching on the sidelines as in the St. Patrick's Day Parade yesterday, as onlookers who braved the cold temperatures and strong winds stomped their feet for warmth. "This seems more like Mummers Day than March," said Mary Ann Bonner of Chestnut Hill, referring to the New Year's Day parade. She attended the 41st annual St. Patrick's Day event with her Irish-born husband and 4-year-old daughter. It was 35 degrees when the parade began at 1:45 p.m. But winds blowing at 17 miles an hour made it feel like 14 degrees.

PATRICK WASN'T IRISH, NOR ARE ALL IRISH CATHOLIC After reading the article "Ethnic schism opens over parade marshal," I would like to state a few facts about who St. Patrick really was. In the year 389, Patrick, at age 16, was taken captive from his native land of Brittany in France to Ireland where he worked as a slave for seven years. His occupation as a herder of flocks was fine probation for the holy career that was to be his. After seven years, he managed to escape and returned home.

St. Paddy's Day without beer? The devil, you say. But that's just the case at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Conshohocken, where church officials have opted not to hold a St. Patrick's Day celebration this year for what is believed to be the first time in the church's 135-year history. Blame it on the blarney - or, more accurately, on the high cost of liability insurance. The Rev. John J. Foster, pastor, said yesterday that he had canceled the affair because of a bulletin from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia warning that church insurance does not cover events at which alcohol is served.

St. Patrick's Day, always a time for mirth and merriment, will take on the character of an Irish wake at Cavanaugh's Railroad Restaurant & Tavern today. This is the last St. Paddy's celebration at the 52-year-old institution. "Drexel University is scheduled to take over on June 15," explains owner Bill Pawliczek. Pawliczek is the son-in-law of Cavanaugh's founder, Pat Cavanaugh, himself one of a nine-sibling clan, eight of whom were involved in the liquor business. Pawliczek, who took over when Pat died 15 years ago, is moving the operation from 32nd and Market streets to 39th and Sansom.

CHICAGO - Chicago dyed its river green, bagpipes sounded on New York's Fifth Avenue, and in Georgia, crowds waited for 30 minutes to buy beer for breakfast before watching Savannah's 188-year-old St. Patrick's Day parade. Thousands gathered Saturday morning along the Chicago River, some in shamrock-shaped sunglasses and others dressed as leprechauns with fake orange beards. Applause erupted as a motorboat sped in circles and a man on board dumped a secret dye in the water, quickly turning it a psychedelic green.

IT'S BEEN said that what you do in life echoes in eternity. Imagine the echoes for teachers like Mark Citron and James Hooker, both in their early 40s, who are accused of having sexual affairs with their students. Regardless of the outcome of their cases, both will have a standing reservation and a special place in Hell for what they have done. It is because of alleged bums like these that good male teachers are constantly looked down upon for the good things that we do with our students.

LIKE hundreds of thousands of other people of Irish descent in the Philadelphia region, I too am outraged by the culturally insensitive retail policy of Spencer's Gifts that comes into play every year around St. Patrick's Day. This shameless retailer hawks chintzy T-shirts, hats, mugs and other paraphernalia that foster a false and degrading stereotype of the Irish as drunken heathens. These unfunny images and lewd slogans insult a vast and proud ethnic group that largely helped build this great nation and fought for the liberties that bottom-feeders like Spencer's and others abuse through the vulgar products they sell.

Whoever designed the Franklin Mills mall must have been trying to thwart pickets and protests. The covered entrances become wind tunnels, and even day-old rain leaks water on those daring to pace around passing out pamphlets. Despite the bitter conditions, none of the activists gathered outside the Aqua entrance Sunday wanted to come inside and warm up in Spencer's Gifts. Members of the Irish Anti-Defamation Federation (IADF) can't stomach the vulgar variations on "Kiss Me I'm Irish" trucker hats.

CLEARWATER, Fla. -   Observations, insinuations, ruminations and unvarnished opinions. The daily sea of red turned to a preponderance of St. Patrick's Day green. PR department officials estimated 75 percent of a sun-washed crowd of 10,816 in the O'Mardi Gras atmosphere of Bright House Field was wearing some degree of green apparel. You could have walked the length of the grassy berm that serves as SRO - sunning room only - in baseball's best spring training ballpark without touching the ground.

Sequins and hot-glue guns are back in the picture for ethnic parades as philanthropist Gerry Lenfest has offered a half-million dollars to the Greater Philadelphia Traditions Fund to help pay for the city's costs. Meanwhile, City Council amended a parade bill yesterday to have the city cover security and cleanup costs. The bill was originally going to cap the fee that the city would charge parades at $7,500. Now, the city will cover basic safety costs and charge parade sponsors for extra necessities such as stage equipment or sound systems, according to Justin DiBerardinis, aide to Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez, the bill's sponsor.

Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez wants the city to loosen up on the recent ruling that parades and festivals pay full price for city services they use. Quinones-Sanchez planned to introduce legislation today that would put limits on the amount the city could charge ethnic parades and festivals for police and sanitation costs. A draft of the bill circulated yesterday would set the caps at $4,000 for festivals and $7,500 for parades, although Quinones-Sanchez stressed that the legislation was a work in progress.

National Cherry Blossom Festival Washington, D.C. March 27-April 11 Blooming cherry trees ringing the Tidal Basin signal the arrival of spring with an explosion of life and color. Perfect for a family vacation or a romantic getaway, with a family day of free activities, fireworks, a parade, a lantern-lighting ceremony, street festivals, and cultural performances. Deals: Partner hotels include the W Washington, D.C. (deluxe guest rooms starting at $289); the Dupont Hotel (deluxe guest rooms starting at $130.

Penn State's self-invented Irish holiday caused as much disruption as ever over the weekend, even though bars throughout State College did not open early and did not offer specials in hopes of calming what has become an alcohol-infused event in Happy Valley, police said. Police made 160 criminal arrests, twice as many as on last year's "State Patrick's Day," said State College Police Capt. Dana Leonard. More than half of those arrested were either visitors or non-Penn State students, Leonard said after analyzing the arrest results.

During the past year of city budget cutbacks, one policy has proved extra controversial - requiring special events like parades to pay city costs. Today, city officials plan to meet with representatives from the six annual ethnic parades to discuss the fees for their Center City marches. Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez, who pushed for the sit-down, said she didn't think that the smaller, volunteer-staffed ethnic parades should face the same financial burden as bigger events that attract more donors and corporate sponsorship.