My maternal grandparents immigrated from Ireland in the late 1800’s, like many others in that era. They came here as youngsters with their respective families, and met and married here. In our family, there was a very strong tradition of celebration for St. Patrick’s Day. We had our corned beef and cabbage, and would sing songs and drink some beer and whiskey. The objective was not necessarily to get rip-roaring drunk, but to celebrate what we knew as our heritage. Stories of the family were told, and it was truly a celebration of our heritage. Admittedly, the public celebrations have degenerated into a reason to get drunk.
Interesting note about corned beef and cabbage: A traditional Irish “boiled dinner” might consist of bacon and cabbage and root vegetables. When Irish working class immigrants arrived in the New World, many would find themselves in the “low-rent” districts of the major cities, where many of their neighbors would be Jewish immigrants. Where there were Jewish immigrants, there would appear Jewish delicatessens; the Irish immigrants, looking for some back bacon or ham for their boiled dinner, couldn’t find the pork products, so they ended up buying beef, usually a brisket, and preparing it in what has become the “traditional” corned beef and cabbage.