kissin' ye blarney stone

guiness wants to make st. patrick's day a national holiday. as if it's not practically one already... their justification? because "it's fun!"

just who is this st. patrick character anyway? and who is this snake charming impostor? hakim bey offers the following:

According to orally-transmitted teachings of Noble Drew Ali, founder & Prophet of the Moorish Science Temple of America: -- Ireland was once part of the Moorish Empire; that is, the celts were Moslems, & there were black moors from N. Africa also present in Ireland. But the moors were expelled by militant Christianity -- this event is disguised in the legend of St. Patrick's expelling the snakes - for which reason the MST celebrates St. Patrick's Day, in a mood of irony perhaps, in expectation of an eventual Return.

more on that here.

[update 03/12/03] interesting follow-up c/o metafilter: the koran is currently being translated into gaelic.