There’s a country known for its love of potatoes and beer. Also, for the deep-rooted Catholic faith of its inhabitants, who enjoy their rich musical heritage amidst the green and often cold mountains. They celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
A country suffering a diaspora stemming from its conflicts, yet daring to confront the ghosts of its violent past through dialogue. A country with a traditional sport that fosters connections and brings joy, just as it does with its cycling achievements, and where it suffers alongside its national football team.
And across the ocean, there’s a country that shares more with it than meets the eye.
A new religion for natives
Catholicism arrived in Ireland around the 5th century, most notably through the figure of St. Patrick, a British missionary who evangelised the island after being captured and enslaved there.
Although small Christian groups already existed, Patrick established a strong monastic organisation that solidified between the 6th and 12th centuries. According to legend, he used a shamrock to explain that the Holy Trinity is one single entity, but with three distinct persons.
From then on, the three-leaf clover became a symbol of the Church of Ireland, and Saint Patrick was canonised and became the patron saint of Ireland.
Although the adoption of the religion in Colombia faces a more difficult process, its roots are equally deep, and St. Patrick’s Day is also celebrated every March 17th.
The Irish in Colombia
Many Irish people arrived during the independence process of New Granada.
Among the names associated with this process are Daniel Florence O’Leary, aide-de-camp to Simón Bolivar, and Colonel James Rooke, of the British Legion, who lost his life at the Battle of Vargas Swamp and whose name is given to the 18th Battalion of the Colombian Army.
An American in Irish lands
Despite its American and Andean origins, the potato has found a second home in Ireland, to the point that its per capita consumption is almost double that of Colombians.
According to Teagasc, the Irish Food and Agriculture Development Authority, the Irish consume 85 kg per capita compared to the 61 kg that Fedepapa reports per Colombian annually.
In terms of beer, the Irish also show a higher consumption: while an average Colombian drinks around 50 litres according to Euromonitor, Brewers of Europe reports that each Irish person consumes 71 litres per capita.
Musical ancestry
Another point of convergence is the musicality of their peoples, which, from carranga and bambuco to Celtic ballads, demonstrates how both cultures make oral and sonic traditions a refuge of identity and resilience.
From this blend of sounds emerges a figure like the artist Katie James, who arrived in Colombia from Ireland at the age of two to become an ambassador of Andean music.
The distant lament of a Uilleann Pipe finds its counterpart in the kuisi (native Colombian flute) of Caribbean tunes, and although seemingly melancholic, it brings solace to their communities.
Sports, suffering, and joy
Separated by 3 decades, Stephen Roche in 1987 and Egan Bernal in 2019 conquered the world’s most famous stage race, the Tour de France, for their respective countries. Both enjoy repeating victories in prestigious races, and both have also conquered the Giro d’Italia.
In football, the passion is renewed every four years, igniting the hopes of Colombians and Irish fans in the pursuit of qualification, though not always with the best results.
For this reason, both the Americans (from the South) and the Europeans (from an isolated island) find solace in their respective national sports: Tejo and Gaelic football.
A promising future
But perhaps the most hopeful aspect, and what unites these two peoples most, is their resilience in sitting down to dialogue when violence seemed to have defeated reason, in peace processes that are perhaps incomplete, perhaps imperfect.
The celebration of March 17th is an ideal occasion to remember that, beyond the distances, there are commonalities that bring us closer and invite us to celebrate what we have in common within our diversity. As Saint Patrick preached.