The San Patricios

Paddy Samurai

Did a search on boards and was suprised to find nothing about these guys.I came across their story while reading a historical fiction book on texas/mexico.Apparently they are still revered in Mexico ,and there is tons on the web about them.

Toward the end of the conflict, at the Battle of Churubsco, 83 San Patricios were captured, and 72 were court martialed. Of this number, 50 were sentenced to be hanged and 16 were flogged and branded on their cheeks with the letter “D” for deserter.
To this day, many US historians regard these men as traitors, but Mexicans see them as heroes, honoring them every Sept. 12 with a special commenoration. In 1993, the Irish began their own ceremony to honor them in Clifden, Galway, Riley’s hometown.
Some historians, relying on court martial testimony, portray the San Patricios as confused and bewildered young men who drank heavily and later regretted their choices. Other analysts wonder what could have motivated a group of drunken adventurers to don the enemy’s uniform and fight to the death.
“The San Patricios were alienated both from American society as well as the US Army,” says Professor Kirby Miller of the University of Missour, an expert on Irish immigration. “They realized that the army was not fighting a war of liberty, but one of conquest against fellow Catholics such as themselves.”
Riley has hardly an unfocused rebel. As an Irishman and Catholic he was undoubtedly appalled and shocked at the behavior of the Texas Rangers and other volunteers who Gen. Taylor admittedly could not control. Among their crimes were murder, rape, robbery and the desecration of Catholic churches.

The Saint Patrick's Battalion in the US-Mexican War, has placed the Irish as a revered race in Mexico; even to this day, an Irish person in Mexico will be told a countless number of times about the famous 'Irish Martyrs' who defected from the US Army and gave their lives trying to save Mexico from US aggression from 1846-1848.
A main reason for their hero status in Mexico is derived from their exemplary performance in the battlefield. The San Patricios ultimately suffered severe casualties at the famous battle at Churubusco, which is considered the Waterloo for the Mexican Army in this war. Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who also commanded the armed forces, stated afterwards that if he had commanded a few hundred more men like the San Patricios, Mexico would have won that ill-famed battle...................................................................................................................
While the brave soldiers of Saint Patrick's Battalion are not particularly well-known outside Mexico, it is clear that their god-like status in Mexico is enough to compensate for the attention they failed to receive in other countries. There is still a fond memory of "Los Colorados" the red-headed Irishmen who gave their lives in the struggle for Mexican sovereignty.

http://vivasancarlos.com/patrick.html


There is also a film staring Tom Berenger about this,hope to get a copy,and maybe also read a bit more about them.

johngalway

There was a good programme on them a while back on the box, I forget the name now. There was a song, I think it was March to battle, Liam Neeson did a voice over, it was very good

PatsytheNazi

TG4 did a good programme on them as well. They are indeed revered in Mexico, the President attends a wreath laying and their is a company of soldiers giving a salute and the airforce has a fly past etc

Paddy Samurai

Anyone know the name of the documentary or if its available on DVD?.

CJhaughey

I believe thats where the word Gringo originated, I am open to correction but apparently it came from "green grow the rushes oh" the lyrics presumably were corrupted.
Regarding the Clifden memorial , apparently the Mexican ambassador offered to have a Mexican stone fountain shipped over to celebrate San Patricios but the local council declined and opted for a piece of modern art instead.

Mahatma coat

isnt the Mexican Surname
Oberon

Just a Mexicanisation of the surname
O'Brien

I'm sure there are more too, but thats the only one I'm fairly certain about.

tac foley

CJhaughey wrote: »

I believe thats where the word Gringo originated, I am open to correction but apparently it came from "green grow the rushes oh" the lyrics presumably were corrupted.

Plausible but anachronistic, it seems -

The word is first attested in Terreros y Pando's Diccionario castellano con las voces de Ciencias y Artes y sus correspondientes en las 3 lenguas francesa, latina e italiana in 1786, which says:

gringos llaman en Málaga a los extranjeros que tienen cierta especie de acento, que los priva de una locución fácil y natural Castellana; y en Madrid dan el mismo nombre con particularidad a los irlandeses

'gringos' is what they call foreigners who have a certain kind of accent which prevents them from speaking easy and natural Castillian; and in Madrid they give the same name in particular to the Irish.

Most scholars agree that gringo is a variant of griego 'Greek' (cf. Greek to me) but it has also been argued that griego gringo is phonetically unlikely (it requires two separate steps, griego > grigo, and after, grigo > gringo), and that it may instead come from the language of the Spanish Romani, Caló, as a variant of (pere)gringo 'wayfarer, stranger'. Its entry in a 1817 French-Spanish dictionary, written by Antonio de Capmany, includes:

.. hablar en griego, en guirigay, en gringo.

... to speak in Greek, in "guirigay", in "gringo". Gringo, griego: aplícase a lo que se dice o escribe sin entenderse.

Gringo, Greek : applies to what is said or written without understanding it.

Johann Jakob von Tschudi observed that the term "gringo" was used in Lima, Peru in the 1840s:Gringo is a nickname applied to Europeans. It is probably derived from Griego (Greek). The Germans say of anything incomprehensible, "That sounds like Spanish,"--and in like manner the Spaniards say of anything they do not understand, "That is Greek."

tac

johngalway

CJhaughey wrote: »

Regarding the Clifden memorial , apparently the Mexican ambassador offered to have a Mexican stone fountain shipped over to celebrate San Patricios but the local council declined and opted for a piece of modern art instead.

*ahem*

The fountain was probably tasteful and beautiful. Therefore it would not fit in that particular town

cyrusdvirus

johngalway wrote: »

*ahem*

The fountain was probably tasteful and beautiful. Therefore it would not fit in that particular town

snigger

mathepac

Mahatma coat wrote: »

isnt the Mexican Surname
Oberon

Just a Mexicanisation of the surname
O'Brien ...

AFAIK, Oberon is a mythical character, the king of the fairies, but the origins of the name are Germanic (Merovingian / Teutonic) , not Spanish. There is no Irish 'O'Brien' connection / derivation that I know of. My favourite Oberon is Merle, the Indian-Welsh actress who died in the late 70's.

Other versions / spellings of the the name are Auberon and Aubrey (a St. Aubrey founded the Cistercian order)