egend has it that St. Patrick once stood on
a hilltop and single-handedly banished all
the snakes from Ireland with nothing but a
wooden staff. Of course, Ireland never had any
snakes to begin with; the legend is actually a
metaphor for the eradication of pagan ideology
and the “Christianization” of Ireland. But let’s not
debate the whole Christian oppression issue here,
it’s St. Patrick’s day—don’t be a hater, be a celebra-
tor.

Since the time of his death (believed to be
March 17, 460AD), St. Patrick, the patron saint of
Ireland, has been celebrated with annual religious
feasts, parades, and the ceremonial adding of
green dye to malt beverages.

Well, the feasts have been around for thou-
sands of years and the parades since 1762, but the
alcohol abuse is actually a more recent phenome-
non. In fact, until the 1970s, pubs in Ireland were
required by law to close on the 17th of March.
However, like I always say, you can’t keep a good

Guinness down (especially when you follow it up-

with a shot of Jameson), and over the last 30 years
or so, the face of St. Patrick’s Day has morphed
into the flushed and bleary-eyed caricature we
know and love today. If partying is your bag, go
out and shake your shillelagh this St. Patrick’s day,
but remember the fun can’t last forever. What goes
up must come down, and—depending on how
much you drink—possibly up again.

So, what do you do when you wake up on
March 18 after painting the town green and it feels
like Michael Flatley Lord of the Dance is getting
jiggy on your cranium? Well, T’ll tell you what you
do. You pour yourself a big ol’ bowl of Lucky

14 | www.theotherpress.ca

Charms and you curl up in front of the television
fot your very own Irish film festival.

There are scads and scads of wonderful Irish
films out there (including Danny Boyle’s latest,
Millions, carrently in theatres), and a Celtic movie
marathon can provide the perfect comforting bal-
ance to the previous night’s excesses. The
following ate just a few of my favourite Irish gems.

Enjoy. Oh, and a very happy St. Patrick’s Day to

you all.

Miller’s Crossing (1990)

From the fabulous and demented minds of the
brothers Cohen (Barton Fink, Fargo), comes this
slick and clever tale of gangsters, dames, and drink
(and the problems they can cause). This movie

 

 

=

HAppY SG.
PAGRICH’S
OA AFGER

Amanda Aikman, Managing Editor

looks and sounds great, perfectly showcasing the
Cohen brothers’ trademark surreal imagery and
snappy dialogue. Makes me long for the days of
Tommy guns and speakeasies—or at least for the
fashions and take-charge fellas of those days, any-
way.

“Powerful”

 

The Field (1991)

With acclaimed Irish director Jim Sheridan (My
Left Foot, In America) at the helm, and celebrated
actor Richard Harris on board (whose perform-
ance here earned him an Academy Award
nomination for Best Actor), it’s no wonder that
this emotional drama touched the hearts of so
many. The film tells the story of an Irish farmer

March 16/2005

who stands up agai
alist who tries to p
one’s a little on the
to have a box of tig
like donkeys—trus
see the film.

 

   
   
  
  
   
    
    
  
 
   
    
  

Into the W
A truly wonderful

Gabriel Byrne star
and alcoholic whog

adorable) sons set
west with a magica
and difficult to wa
and uplifting finis
the sometimes-paif

The Secre
(1994)

From much-admir
with Guns, The B
charming and dra
girl’s mission to
loaded with atmd
And seals that tur