St Patrick’s Day Protests

Such is the significance of St Patrick’s Day in the United States that, on the date that honours Ireland’s patron saint, many Irish political leaders can be found not in Ireland but in various cities on the eastern seaboard. This is a testament to the immense political, economic, and cultural capital the Irish diaspora has accumulated across the Atlantic. But the celebrations have also been a focal point for contentious issues. Most recently, in 2025 some Irish politicians vocally boycotted the American celebrations due to the US government supplying arms to Israel, a stance which contrasts with the Irish public’s support for Palestine. It was the exclusion of LGBT groups from the parade in Manhattan that dominated headlines from the 1990s until 2015, when Guinness withdrew its sponsorship in protest of the ban. In 1969, however, it was the issue of civil rights in Northern Ireland, and its relationship to its American counterpart, that stirred tensions within Irish American communities as 17 March approached.