There are people who I work with who will not be aware that I spent the first 18 years of my life living in a small fishing village on the west coast of Ireland.

If you heard my accent, you’d assume I was born and brought up in Glasgow. I do not have that Irish accent people seem to love. I do not hide the fact I’m Irish, it is just not plainly obvious.

As a kid, St Patrick’s Day was one of the best days of the year. The biggest bonus was getting to break lent for a day, there was no stopping us with sweets and fizzy juice. As far as I am aware, that is not a rule anywhere else, but it was a major selling point of St Patrick’s Day.

Add in the parades and marching bands and it is always a brilliant time of year. My own dad used to be dressed up as St Patrick for the parades for years in Burtonport.

So, for me, it was great to see a parade take place in Glasgow after a decade of missing out on it back home.

But why is it such an issue for some people? It is about time Glasgow celebrated its Irish community. Look how hard people even had to fight to get a memorial for An Gorta Mor.

There is not a place in the world that has people look down on their St Patrick’s Day celebrations as much as Glasgow seems too.

The United States always goes crazy for it, and there are big celebrations elsewhere. Argentina has street parties, there are events in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Spain, Switzerland and all over Asia.

Here in Scotland there are plenty of pubs and clubs that host parties, but despite having one of the biggest Irish communities, there is nothing official for families to enjoy.

My dad........

© Herald Scotland