‘ TOP OF THE MORNING’ AND OTHER IRISH FLUBS
On Thursday, Ireland’s leader was in Washington for a series of events in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, including breakfast with the vice- president, a luncheon at the U. S. Capitol, a meeting with President Donald Trump and a long- standing annual ceremony in which the U. S. president is presented with a bowl of shamrocks. The day began with a mildly offensive Irish cliché and went downhill from there. Here are a few of the transgressions:
❚ Top of the morning: Vicepresident Mike Pence’s greeting to Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny Thursday. The reaction by Irish on social media was palpable. “Literally just shouted ‘ NOBODY SAYS THAT’ at the TV,” a journalist in Ireland tweeted.
❚ Irish proverb: At the luncheon, Trump shared an “Irish proverb.” “Always remember to forget the friends that proved untrue, but never forget to remember those that have stuck by you.” Across social media, many pointed out that a poem by Nigerian poet Albashir Adam Alhassan includes a similar stanza.
❚ Golf royalty: One of Paul Ryan’s statements caused a fair bit of head- scratching: “Americans, especially American Irish, are always trying to endear ourselves to the Irish. Think about it. We went from a president who plays a lot of golf to a president who owns a lot of golf courses,” Ryan said. “That is about the closest thing you can get to royalty in Ireland.” Trump, indeed, owns a golf course in Ireland, but some Irish people questioned the reference to royalty and golf, a sport that originated in Scotland.
❚ Shameful pint: Perhaps the most appalling moment came as Ryan offered a toast with a pre- poured pint of Guinness beer from under the podium. “To what our forefathers have started and our children will continue, may the light always shine upon them. Sláinte.” The speaker may have used the correct word for the toast, but all Irish Guinness enthusiasts could focus on was that “despicable pint.” Anyone who has lived in or travelled to Ireland knows the law of the land: a dark, Irish beer should always be topped with a creamy, white, thick foam. One person tweeted it looked like a pint “you find in the smoking area at the end of the night, its owner stumbled home long ago.”