Call it a sign of the times, but there will be a new float in this year’s St. Patrick’s parade promoting responsible drinking without being killjoys.
The float is the latest effort by Éduc’alcool, a non-profit organization, to temper an overindulgence of alcohol at Montreal’s 193rd annual celebration of Irish heritage and culture.
It marks the third year in which the organization has teamed up with the United Irish Societies of Montreal to raise awareness of excessive binge drinking among parade-goers.
“About four or five years ago, St. Patrick’s Day was considered probably one of the most, if not the most wet day of the year in Montreal because everyone on the island becomes Irish,” said Hubert Sacy, director general of Éduc’alcool.
“And for many people being Irish means drinking to excess. So, together with United Irish Societies — we didn’t do this against them, we did this with them — we decided to change the perception that St. Patrick’s Day is the celebration of excess and try to turn it into the celebration of moderation.”
This year’s version of the St. Patrick’s Day Survival Guide, first launched by Éduc’alcool in 2014, has been updated to include some helpful tips about alcohol consumption. It is available at SAQ stores, local Irish pubs and can be viewed online at www.educalcool.qc.ca
“This year’s guide is better than the first year,” Sacy said. “It’s much more Irish, if I may say so, and more funny and relaxed. It’s not telling people not to drink, but just making sure that the idea of associating the celebration with excessive drinking should disappear.”
Some of the survival tips warn of the dangers of imbibing too much booze: No. 5:”The average St. Patrick’s Day parade lasts approximately three hours — the same amount of time it takes for an adult male to metabolize 2 single green beers.” No. 10: “Those who kiss the Blarney Stone are said to receive the gift of the gab. Those who fail to heed the above advice may kiss the porcelain Blarney Bowl instead and receive the gift of a hangover.”
The Éduc’alcool float will have Irish dancers, but will also promote low-risk drinking guidelines during the parade. Sacy said the goal is to educate drinkers about alcohol abuse, not to spoil Montreal’s longest-running parade which also celebrates the arrival of spring.
“We’re not telling people, ‘Don’t Drink.’ We’re just (saying), ‘Hey guys, you don’t need to drink to excess and you can celebrate in moderation.”
Police were known to look the other way if parade-goers were acting responsibly while having fun. But a police spokesperson once remarked after a past parade: “Someone sipping a beer watching the parade and not bothering anyone, well, we’re not going to hassle that person. But last year there was a guy who was intoxicated who went into the parade and humped the (police) mascot bear. He was detained.”
While public drinking was once unofficially condoned along the parade route, some alcohol-related incidents in recent decades called that policy into question, including the tragic death of a 20-year-old man in 2010. Alex Hamelin of Laval was run over and killed after he fell beneath a parade float on Ste-Catherine St., near Metcalfe St.
Common sense and moderation should rule the day, Sacy said.
“We don’t want to ruin the party or be the moralistic guide to dos and don’ts of drinking,” he said.
“But (excessive drinking) ruins the party and it ruins the reputation of the Irish people because, honestly, it’s an urban legend that Irish guys are getting drunk all the time.”
