Beyond Green Beer🍀🍺🍀: Myriad Black & Irish Connections You Never Knew ❤️🖤💚💚💚...
[WARNING: This Post will Annoy Anybody with an ANTI "Diversity & Inclusion" Mindset 😆]
👆🏽Me reveling in my many shades of green glory
Rich shades of GREEN are my favorite color(s). Which may help explain why i’ve been mildly mesmerized & slightly enchanted with St. Patrick’s Day since childhood….
Psyched to have also recently learned a a few fascinating multiculti connections to the holiday that i simply have to share!
UP FIRST: The Other Emerald Isle: St. Paddy's Day with a Caribbean Accent.
Did you know that St. Patrick’s Day has deep African Diaspora roots in the Caribbean — notably in Montserrat, but also here in the United States — and if we were to travel to 18th-century Ireland we’d see some insights there too!
Centuries of Afro-Irish Celebration:
Montserrat’s a Caribbean island known as the “Emerald Isle of the Caribbean,” and boasts a St. Patrick’s Day celebration that honors not only Irish heritage but also the African enslaved people who rebelled against colonial rule on March 17, 1768….
Many of the island’s Irish Catholic settlers then arrived as indentured servants, intermingled with the African population and created a unique Afro-Irish culture. Today, Montserrat’s the only place outside Ireland where St. Patrick’s Day is an official public holiday, blending Irish and African traditions in its festivities. Wow! Now I gotta know:
WHAT’S ON THE MONTSERRAT St. Patrick’s Day MENU?! …
[FYI I shed more light on that along with all the historical background info + pics of dishes in the Patreon version of this post so pls become part of that for free or at a paid level in support of my work as an independent scholar & content creator — + you get much more scoop there!…].
🕰️ UP NEXT: A little TIME TRAVEL into Irish History that’s Inclusive oF Black Ppl!…
In 18th- and 19th-century Ireland, there was a small but notable Black presence, including sailors, soldiers, and musicians. Additionally, the solidarity between Irish nationalists and Black liberation movements—particularly in the U.S.—has historical roots. Frederick Douglass found refuge for a while abroad in Ireland in the 1840s as a self-emancipated fugitive, escaping a hypocritical and punitive American injustice system while advocating for abolition and forging solidarity with Irish allies.
Later, Irish immigrants in America played complex roles in race relations, with some allying with Black activists while others sadly assimilated into white supremacist structures…
On a more positive note, In April 1987, Ireland became the first Western nation to take a serious stand against the injustices of apartheid by imposing a complete ban on the importation of any and all South African agricultural goods…..
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“WE ARE THE WORLD”…
St. Patrick’s Day’s Celebrated by ErriBody in the U.S. Today: In major cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago, St. Patrick’s Day parades have evolved to become more diverse. Over time, even more inclusive representation has emerged, from LGBTQ+ groups seeking and securing inclusion in the parade as well as non-Irish immigrant communities who have embraced the holiday’s spirit….
So, while St. Patrick’s Day is often seen as an Irish holiday, its true history—and its global celebrations—showcase a much richer, more diverse, and interconnected story.
Solidarity & Stout: The Interconnected Roots of a Global Holiday
About That Stout:
You really can’t talk about St. Paddy’s without talking about Stout. It’s the deep, dark, roasted heart of Irish brewing tradition. But as we’re "Remixing" this holiday, we have to look at how that liquid legacy is being transformed today through a beautiful Black-Irish lens.
I am so incredibly proud to give some major shine to my dear friend and industry icon, Brewmaster Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery. Garrett recently collaborated with Guinness on a project that is a literal "sip of history": a Guinness Fonio Stout. For the uninitiated, Fonio is a tiny, ancient, nutrient-dense West African grain that has been cultivated for over 5,000 years. By swapping traditional barley for Fonio, Garrett and the Guinness team haven’t just made a delicious beer; they’ve created a liquid bridge between the African continent and the Emerald Isle. It’s a story of resilience, sustainable agriculture, and the kind of "multiculti" culinary magic that happens when we acknowledge our interconnected roots.
So, when you see those pics of us raising a glass, know that we aren't just drinking "beer"—we’re toasting to 5,000 years of African heritage meeting 250 years of Irish brewing excellence. Now that is a pairing for the ages! 🍺✨🌍
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From Corned Beef to Bully Beef: Multiculti St. Paddy’s Feasts for the Foodies:
Speaking of cross-cultural connections and camaraderies, here are a few FOOD & DRINK highlights from fab St. Patrick’s Day parties, parades, brunches & such with my Irish-American play-cousins/ neighbors/ friends ⬇️…
As for Corned Beef and Cabbage Day and in keeping a Caribbean accent on this otherwise Irish-American Holiday :
Here’s the link to a flavorful corned beef dish (& demo!) called Jamaican “bully beef” aka “Jamaican corned beef”
… where I show up as the food history expert to share a lil bit a history behind the dish in support of a full on COOKING DEMO & Delish RECIPE from Chef Millie Peartree in FOOD 52’s “Behind The Recipe with Millie Peartree”
➡️You’ll Find & Can WATCH THE FULL 9-MIN EPISODE HERE⬅️
PS. But wait.. I’ve found even MORE St. Paddy’s Stuff …so I can send ya’ll off with a few ideas to TOAST with today…
📸👇🏾Highlights of St. Paddy’s Day posts ‘past’ that I did for Good Wine over the years — with the intent to provide all kindsa options for wine lovers who’d like to have some good options beyond green beer for this day 💚… [for wine deets or more info click onto each image below 👇🏾]
And lastly for now, a few Irish Whiskey “beauty shots” pun intended) that I took from a single-malt tasting I facilitated once up on a time…
Here's to the ancestors who rebelled and the cultural connections that remain.
So whether you’re sipping a Guinness Fonio Stout, a dram of single-malt, or a glass of really "Good Wine" today...
Sláinte & Àṣẹ! 🍀✨
With a Big Cheers to St. Patrick’s Day: The Remix
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THIS LINK takes you back to the whole month calendar aerial view to explore more food & drink ‘holidays’