I did.

With all the panic and laws being passed to try and save us from the coronavirus this cultural and religious celebration slipped by.

Actually, it’s not a day I actually celebrate and I especially dislike my beer (when I used to drink it) being coloured green.

Although we think of ireland, because Patrick is their Patron Saint, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, until the 20^th century were often bigger celebrations outside Ireland – North America in particular.

Here on Grand Cayman, it has always been a big celebratory day with parties and sports and plenty of music.

But not this year.

When I walked through the centre of George Town today between Noon and 1 pm it was almost like a Ghost Town. A lot of shops were shut and the one’s that were open were empty of shoppers.

The many shop assistants were standing in front of their counters and not even talking to each other. There was an air of gloom and disbelief.

There wasn’t a shamrock in sight. This three-leaved plant was used by Patrick to explain the Holy Trinity. How many of you knew that?

Did you also know that the colour blue was first associated with Patrick and not green?

It wasn’t until the Irish with both the Catholics and the Protestants united together (how about that?) to get rid of British rule. The Brits stuck to the blue and the United Irish wore green. They were persecuted by the British for wearing green and that mad it more of a symbol and an influence especially on flags.This was even more prominent in the flags of the 1916 Easter Rising.

The St Patricks Day Parades only came to prominence in 1985 when the Orange Order staged it but it wasn’t until the end of the conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants in 1998 that the cross-community parades started to attract the thousands that attend across the world now.

This year all of us have the coronavirus in our minds.

This started in China and has crossed continents and seas leaving its toll of misery and death in its wake.

In the whole island of Ireland to date there are over three hundred and fifty cases of the disease.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in a St. Patrick’s Day address today “This is the calm before the storm”. He added the number of cases will soar to 15,000 in weeks.

There were no parades there today.

“We’re asking people to come together as a nation by staying apart from each other.” Varadkar then paraphrased a quote by Winston Churchill, Britain’s Prime Minister during World War II: “Never will so many ask so much of so few.” (Churchill’s exact quote was: “Never was so much owed by so many to so few.”)

Our premier, Alden McLaughlin spelled it out too in a Press Conference today saying, “This is a real health threat, a major threat to families and friends, but particularly older members and the most vulnerable in our community.”

Forgetting St Patrick’s Day today is easily forgiven. We all have far more serious thoughts occupying our minds.