{"id":2991,"date":"2024-03-18T09:48:45","date_gmt":"2024-03-18T09:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/?p=2991"},"modified":"2024-03-18T09:48:45","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T09:48:45","slug":"make-my-st-patricks-day-happy-st-paddys-day-to-ye-lads-and-lasses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/?p=2991","title":{"rendered":"Make My St. Patrick\u2019s Day: Happy St. Paddy\u2019s Day to Ye Lads and Lasses"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"td-post-featured-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Irish-Eastwood.jpg.webp\" data-caption=\"\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"696\" height=\"696\" class=\"entry-thumb td-modal-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Irish-Eastwood.jpg-696x696.webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Irish-Eastwood.jpg-696x696.webp 696w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Irish-Eastwood.jpg-300x300.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Irish-Eastwood.jpg-700x700.webp 700w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Irish-Eastwood.jpg-150x150.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Irish-Eastwood.jpg-768x768.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Irish-Eastwood.jpg-420x420.webp 420w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Irish-Eastwood.jpg-560x560.webp 560w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Irish-Eastwood.jpg.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" alt=\"\" title=\"Irish Eastwood.jpg\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On a day when it seems virtually everyone seems to lay some claim to Irish ancestry, and others, in typical American fashion, use the day as an excuse to get insanely drunk, St. Patrick\u2019s Day can be many different things to many different people.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cities such as Savannah, Chicago, New York and Norfolk, Va., all have notable parades where thousands gather and celebrate. Virtually every Irish pub in every town will be packed to the gills and serving up the suds along with boiled bacon and cabbage or Irish stew.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The last time I enjoyed a huge St. Patrick\u2019s Day celebration was in Raleigh, N.C., about five years ago. Downtown Raleigh was an excellent place to celebrate and have fun with friends. But before it was all over, in a crowded Uber ride back to my friend\u2019s house, a woman in our crowd in the backseat, got sick and projectile vomited in the van, mainly on the dude sitting in front of her. That dude was me. My shirt interestingly\u2014and quite disgustingly\u2014did look covered in Irish stew. I didn\u2019t even try to wash it when I got back to the house. It went straight in the trash.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-545626\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/leprechaun-with-beer-700x700.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"696\" height=\"696\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/leprechaun-with-beer-700x700.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/leprechaun-with-beer-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/leprechaun-with-beer-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/leprechaun-with-beer-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/leprechaun-with-beer-696x696.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/leprechaun-with-beer-420x420.jpg 420w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/leprechaun-with-beer-560x560.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/leprechaun-with-beer.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\"\/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since then, I\u2019ve observed the holiday in a little tamer fashion, keeping away from those who tend to overindulge.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the holiday falling on a Sunday, and not having to necessarily work, it will be a great day to go shooting. Could be a great way to celebrate the day for you as well. Again, maybe the ranges will be a little less crowded since everyone else will be pounding Guinness and dodging darts in some pub.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s interesting, but St. Patrick\u2019s Day actually has a somewhat violent history, well into today if you take the increased number of arrests and DUI\u2019s meted out.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some odd and assorted facts related to the holiday and the Irish in general to stoke your St. Paddy\u2019s vibe:<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>The Tommy Gun\/Irish Connection:<\/strong> The Thompson submachine gun, or \u201cTommy gun,\u201d originated from the designs of retired US Army Lt. Col. Marcellus Thompson in 1916, aiming to create an automatic rifle based on recoil principles, diverging from the then-common gas and piston system. The development was postponed by the US\u2019s entry into WWI, but resumed post-war with Thompson\u2019s founding of the Auto Ordnance Corporation, amassing 285 patents for small arms.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Investment came from Thomas Fortune Ryan, a senior Clan na Gael member, recognizing the weapon\u2019s potential for both profit and the Irish Republican Army\u2019s (IRA) struggle. He facilitated financing through Michael Collins, with Harry Boland acting as intermediary, unbeknownst to Eamon de Valera.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u201cTommy gun\u201d appealed to Collins due to its simplicity, concealability, and firepower, crucial for the IRA\u2019s operations against the well-armed British forces. Priced at $225 each, an initial order for 500 guns was placed after successful tests. The Thompson saw its first combat use in an IRA attack in Dublin in June 1921.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Production was licensed to Colt Arms Company, and an IRB agent arranged for the guns\u2019 storage in New York, with the IRA as their exclusive initial customer. A planned shipment to Ireland was foiled by a US Customs raid right before departure, resulting in the impoundment of the guns, which later ended up with the FBI.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the setback, a few Thompsons did reach Ireland, contributing to the IRA\u2019s arsenal, albeit in smaller numbers than intended, with their repeated appearance in propaganda suggesting a greater presence. (Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.historyireland.com\/the-tommy-gun-the-irish-connection\/\">History Ireland<\/a>)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_468215\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-468215\" style=\"width: 594px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-468215 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Johnny-Deep-with-Tommy-Gun-courtesy-nbcchicago.com_.jpg\" alt=\"Johnny Depp with Tommy Gun (courtesy nbcchicago.com)\" width=\"594\" height=\"325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Johnny-Deep-with-Tommy-Gun-courtesy-nbcchicago.com_.jpg 594w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Johnny-Deep-with-Tommy-Gun-courtesy-nbcchicago.com_-300x164.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px\"\/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-468215 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Johnny-Deep-with-Tommy-Gun-courtesy-nbcchicago.com_.jpg\" alt=\"Johnny Depp with Tommy Gun (courtesy nbcchicago.com)\" width=\"594\" height=\"325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Johnny-Deep-with-Tommy-Gun-courtesy-nbcchicago.com_.jpg 594w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Johnny-Deep-with-Tommy-Gun-courtesy-nbcchicago.com_-300x164.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-468215\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Johnny Depp weilding a Tommy Gun. (Courtesy nbcchicago.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>St. Patrick Wasn\u2019t Even Irish:<\/strong> St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, whose life is largely known through his work, the <em>Confessio<\/em>, was born in Great Britain, possibly Scotland, into a wealthy, Christian Roman family. At 16, he was captured by Irish raiders and enslaved for six years in Ireland, where he found solace in religion. He escaped to Britain after a dream guided him to a ship. Later, another dream, where he received a letter called \u201cThe Voice of the Irish\u201d from someone named Victoricus, implored him to return to Ireland. Following his calling, Patrick studied for the priesthood, was ordained a bishop, and in 433, he returned to Ireland. Over the next 40 years, he devoted himself to preaching the Gospel, converting thousands, and establishing churches across the country. Patrick passed away on March 17, 461, in Saul, the location of his first church, leaving behind a legacy of Christianity and devotion in Ireland. He led a life of poverty, teaching, traveling and tirelessly working according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/this-day-in-history\/saint-patrick-dies\">History.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Parade Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Depending on where you look, there seems to be some contention over whether New York City or Boston held the first St. Patrick\u2019s Day parade. It wasn\u2019t in either. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishcentral.com\/roots\/history\/oldest-st-patricks-day-world\">Irish Central<\/a>, research by historian Dr. J. Michael Francis has unveiled that St. Augustine, Florida, may have hosted the first St. Patrick\u2019s Day celebration in 1600 and its inaugural parade in 1601, predating similar events in Boston and New York by over a century. This revelation came from a gunpowder expenditures log found in Spain\u2019s Archivo General de Indias (AGI), detailing spring festivities and a feast day for San Patricio (St. Patrick) in St. Augustine. Francis noted that artillery was traditionally used not only for navigational assistance but also in public celebrations and religious festivals in the city. In March 1601, the residents of St. Augustine honored St. Patrick, who had become the Spanish garrison town\u2019s official protector, particularly of its maize fields, by processing through the streets. This parade, under the direction of the colony\u2019s Irish vicar, Ricardo Artur, marks an early and significant instance of St. Patrick\u2019s Day observances in the New World.<\/li>\n<li>Boston was most likely next. According to History.com: \u201cBoston\u00a0has long staked claim to the first St. Patrick\u2019s Day celebration in the American colonies. On March 17, 1737, more than two dozen Presbyterians who emigrated from the north of Ireland gathered to honor St. Patrick and form the\u00a0Charitable Irish Society\u00a0to assist distressed Irishmen in the city.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>New York\u2019s parade, which remains the largest and longest running in the United States, didn\u2019t pop up until 1762. \u201cIronically, it was a band of Redcoats who started the storied green tradition of America\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nycstpatricksparade.org\/\">largest and longest St. Patrick\u2019s Day parade<\/a>\u00a0in 1762 when Irish-born soldiers serving in the British Army marched through lower Manhattan to a St. Patrick\u2019s Day breakfast at a local tavern. The March 17 parades by the Irish through the streets of\u00a0New York City\u00a0raised the ire of nativist, anti-Catholic mobs who started their own tradition of\u00a0\u201cpaddy-making\u201d\u00a0on the eve of St. Patrick\u2019s Day by erecting effigies of Irishmen wearing rags and necklaces of potatoes with whiskey bottles in their hands until the practice was banned in 1803,\u201d History.com reports.<\/li>\n<li>So, when was the first St. Patrick\u2019s Day parade in Ireland? Not until 1903 in the town of Waterford.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>The Famed Rigby Firearms Was Founded in Dublin:<\/strong> John Rigby, an eminent figure in the history of firearms, founded the high-end arms manufacturer John Rigby &amp; Company in Dublin, Ireland, in 1775. Renowned for its craftsmanship and innovation, Rigby &amp; Company established a legacy in the firearms industry that persists over two centuries later. Despite relocating its principal workshop, showroom, and museum to London in 1894, the company has maintained its operational prowess, holding numerous patents and introducing significant advancements such as the magnum Mauser action and the development of dangerous game cartridges like the .450 Nitro Express and .416 Rigby. Rigby-made rifles are celebrated not only for their functionality but also for their artistry, with many pieces considered collector\u2019s items and displayed in prestigious museums worldwide. Current models still sold by the company can fetch more than $200,000, even $250,000 for a single rifle. Among the notable users of Rigby firearms was professional hunter Jim Corbett, who wielded a .275 Rigby rifle to take down the infamous \u201cman-eating tigress of Champawat,\u201d a Bengal tigress attributed with the deaths of an estimated 436 people before Corbett\u2019s intervention. The enduring legacy of John Rigby &amp; Company underscores its significant impact on the firearms industry and its connection to historic acts of marksmanship.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_545627\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-545627\" style=\"width: 696px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-545627 size-large lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-700x427.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"696\" height=\"425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-700x427.jpeg 700w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-300x183.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-768x468.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-150x92.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-696x425.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-689x420.jpeg 689w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-560x342.jpeg 560w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby.jpeg 1000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\"\/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-545627 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-700x427.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"696\" height=\"425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-700x427.jpeg 700w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-300x183.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-768x468.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-150x92.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-696x425.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-689x420.jpeg 689w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby-560x342.jpeg 560w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Corbetts-275-Rigby.jpeg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-545627\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Famed hunter Jim Corbett\u2019s .275 Rigby rifle he used to take down the infamous \u201cman-eating tigress of Champawat,\u201d a Bengal tigress attributed with the deaths of an estimated 436 people. (John Rigby &amp; Co. Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, with all of that interesting, yet useless trivia tucked under ball cap, well, <em>Erin Go Bragh<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/make-my-st-patricks-day-happy-st-paddys-day-to-ye-lads-and-lasses\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On a day when it seems virtually everyone seems to lay some claim to Irish ancestry, and others, in typical American fashion, use the day as an excuse to get insanely drunk, St. Patrick\u2019s Day can be many different things to many different people. Cities such as Savannah, Chicago, New York and Norfolk, Va., all [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2991","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reviews"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}