Lyons: Ireland not the only country worth celebrating

Why is it that the only time I saw Heinz Field sold out for a Pitt game was when Notre Dame came… Why is it that the only time I saw Heinz Field sold out for a Pitt game was when Notre Dame came to play? Why aren’t Pitt fans and alumni so devoted? Does anyone find this embarrassing?

We have almost double the alumni, we’re 55 years older, we’ve admitted women for far longer and we have about 10,000 more undergrads than Notre Dame does.

For me, there really isn’t any explanation other than our love of the Irish.

Sure, as a redhead with green eyes and freckles, I enjoy celebrating a portion of my heritage. But at the same time, I think our fixation on Ireland is overblown.

According to the Census Bureau, 35.9 million Americans claim Irish heritage. But what about everyone else who enjoys wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day? What’s their excuse?

Having been to Ireland, I can say conclusively it’s not all that everyone thinks it is. Sure, there’s drinking and a beautiful countryside, but it’s also somewhat small and run down. The country is filled with grungy industrial cities, and unemployment is high.

This isn’t to say Ireland isn’t an appealing nation, but merely that it’s not full of rainbows and shamrocks like everyone imagines. Indeed, very few people seem conscious of the fact that the current state of Ireland is anything but idealistic.

Unsurprisingly, many such people attended the Pittsburgh Irish Festival from Sept. 11 through 13, the halfway mark to St. Patty’s Day. For the most part I was underwhelmed with the event, mostly due to its overpriced tickets and disappointing drinks. Nevertheless, there were many attendants, a majority of which were wearing green; some had even dyed their hair red or green. But as I was looking around, I couldn’t help but wonder how many people were actually Irish.

Now I’m not saying that you have to be Irish to appreciate a cultural festival. I myself enjoy the Greek Food Festival, for example, right here in Oakland. What I’m concerned about are those who claim a heritage that doesn’t belong to them.

Why aren’t these people more caught up in celebrating their own nationalities? It’s not like I show up to the Greek Food Festival wearing bright blue and white, ready to throw plates at the ground because I want to be Greek for the day. You don’t need to pretend you’re Irish to enjoy Irish food, drink, song and dance.

I suppose our affinity for the Irish is fostered from a young age, as schools everywhere enjoy decorating their rooms for St. Patrick’s Day, encouraging students to wear green and read stories about leprechauns and rainbows. Many perpetuate this behavior into adulthood, while adding alcohol into the equation.

But how did the Irish even gain the popularity and respect necessary for everyone to recognize a day named after their patron saint? It probably had something to do with the Irish’s influential role in the goings-on of American society beginning in the 19th century. With high populations in so many U.S. cities, along with a prevalent Irish mob, those who were Irish were proud to be — and that’s something that runs deep.

Today, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Irish are the second-largest self-reported ethnic group in the United States (the first is Germans). So it makes sense that many Americans can relate to their “work hard, play hard” ancestors from across the pond.

The thing is, the Irish aren’t the only group of immigrants who came to America having experienced hardships. They aren’t the only group who struggled to provide for themselves in their motherland or once they found their way across the ocean, to our ostensibly more welcoming economy, and they certainly are not the only group of people with a great work ethic.

So as much as I understand the argument that it’s easy to relate to the Irish mentality and therefore identify with Irish-related institutions like Notre Dame, I just can’t buy it. If you’re not Irish and if you didn’t go to Notre Dame, there are other cultures to admire.

As for my little Irish self, I’ll sit at Heinz Field come the Notre Dame game and cheer my heart out hoping Pitt can once again put those obnoxious jigging fans in their place. And I’ll think about the Guinness waiting for me at the celebration afterward.