Be careful what you wish today. Many people blithely say “Happy St. Paddy’s Day,” not realizing that those can be fighting words. In Britain, “paddy” is a slang term—a derogatory one—for a person of Irish birth or descent. If an Englishman wants to cut down a person, he’ll call him a “Paddy.” Some of that usage ended up in America, too. Also, some people in America either lived themselves or had relatives who lived through English mal-treatment in Ireland and, therefore, resent the term “Paddy.”
True, “Paddy” in the late 1900s was a pet form of the Irish name “Padraig” (not “Patrick”). In that spirit, many Irish call themselves by that nickname. But it’s like nicknames for Blacks, Hispanics, and other groups: you can call each other that, but NOT if you’re an outsider.
You don’t know an Irish person’s feelings about the name, and you don’t want to perpetuate a term that some people find offensive. PLUS, the day IS supposedly honoring a saint. So I invite everyone to do what I’m doing, wishing one and all a
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!
