I think perhaps you should speak for yourself. I grew up on a family of Love Pug St Patricks Day Green Shamrock T-Shirt. I think a lot of it has to do with how horribly the Irish were treated when coming here especially during the Potato Famine. It’s a way of claiming ownership of descent.I wonder how many Americans know what actually happened on that day. And, to the man above me, most places here had specials on Irish beers, not imports.