Being born and raised in Ireland, I found your feature “Clovers and cocktails” (CT, March 17) about St. Patrick’s Day slightly disappointing. It saddens me to think that the day dedicated to celebrating my home country and culture is seen by many around the world as simply an excuse to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, even if it is green.
However, I would have expected a student newspaper that is normally of such a high standard to at least highlight some of the finer aspects of Ireland, be it our music, literature, national sports or the contributions of the many Irish (and Irish-Americans) to the United States and the world. While there is nothing particularly wrong with an article reviewing various alcoholic brews, considering that it is also very much a family holiday, was it not inappropriate to solely address alcoholic beverages as a topic in your feature?
Jason Quigley
Mechanical engineering major
Third-year exchange student
A version of this article appeared in the Mar 19 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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It's all about drinking in America this is isn't Ireland. The school paper is a proper reflection of our college culture.
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This man is right: St. Patricks Day, Cinco de Mayo, Independence Day, Chinese New Year (increasing in popularity), etc. When it comes to the US, it becomes an excuse to drink.
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