Completely Different Roots Celebrating St. Patty’s Day in Ireland vs. America
What Is the Value of Your Personal Injury Case?
From extravagant parades to green-dyed rivers, something about St. Patrick’s Day feels quintessentially American — despite its Irish heritage. That’s because many common St. Patrick’s Day traditions actually originated in America, evolving beyond their roots in the Emerald Isle in a few key ways. On March 17, Irish folks commemorate the death of St. Patrick, who brought Christianity to pagan Ireland during the late fourth and early fifth centuries. Historically, these religious origins make for a more somber observance of St. Patrick’s Day. Many Irish families go to church and eat a modest feast as the extent of their celebration. However, St. Patrick’s Day in America is not so much about venerating Ireland’s patron saint as it is about celebrating Irish heritage in a foreign land. When Catholic Irish immigrants first came to the United States, they faced persecution from a largely Protestant population. In response, Irish Americans began using March 17 as a day to publicly declare and celebrate Irish heritage with parades and demonstrations. The observation of St. Patrick’s Day grew in popularity in cities with large Irish populations, like Boston, New York, and Chicago. Then, in the booming post-World War II economy, various businesses aggressively marketed the holiday to Americans of all heritages. Thus, it became a day when anyone could celebrate Irish American heritage, or at least it gave everyone an excuse to drink like they believe the Irish do. Ironically, imbibing was not a part of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Ireland until relatively recently. Due to the religious nature of the holiday, pubs and bars closed down on March 17 until 1961. Additionally, the traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage is another American addition. In Ireland, pork and cabbage was actually more common, but impoverished Irish immigrants substituted less expensive beef for pork, and the tradition stuck. Even though the most widely observed St. Patrick’s Day celebrations originated in America, many of them have found their way back to Ireland. Starting in 1996, the St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Dublin now attracts over 1 million attendees with all the drinks and revelry that Americans love. You’d be hard pressed to find a green beer, though. In the hallowed birthplace of Guinness and whiskey, some traditions may be better left across the pond.
After you’ve been in a wreck in South Carolina and you’ve received medical treatment, a lot of times people want to know the value of their personal injury case. The answer is: It depends. It depends on the amount of damage done to your car, on the medical treatment you received, and on the extent of your injuries. Do you have scars? Did you miss work? If so, when you went back to work, were you able to do the same work you used to do, or did you have to change jobs and start earning less than you earned before the wreck? Oftentimes, even things that seem small can have a large impact on the settlement. Things like which state and county the wreck occurred in and your age can influence the size of the settlement you receive. Even your personality can influence your settlement. When the defense believes the jury is going to warm up to you easily, they’ll be more inclined to offer larger settlements. Many times, though, it comes back to the amount of insurance coverage available. What kind of insurance did the person who hit you have? What kind of insurance coverage did you have? Unfortunately, a lot of times, a case’s value tops out at the amount of coverage available even if the damages are ultimately going to cost more. To appropriately value a personal injury case, you need to understand the full extent of the damages available in your case, and the best way to do that is to sit down with an injury lawyer. At David Blackwell Law, we focus on delivering one-on-one, personalized representation to our clients. To learn more about how we can help you realize the full value of your injury case, visit DavidBlackwellLaw.com or call us for a free consultation at 803-285-0225.
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