Back in the middle of 2001, I had written a letter to the editor of the Providence Visitor (now The Rhode Island Catholic) in response to the infamous ongoing, growing-old, I-wish-the-hell-these-people-would-get-it Danny Boy debacle, er, debate. In that letter, I had basically said that liturgists and musicians in their right mind would refrain from programming Danny Boy at Mass. Of course, I managed to piss off a few people. One nutcase wrote in reply insisted that I apologize to the Irish-American population for offending them by simply pointing out a simple Mass rubric - that secular music of any kind, I don't care what ethnic group it comes from, does not belong at Mass. I even got a letter saying "This is 2001. Get a clue!" (It's not the first nutcase letter this nutcase in question has written.)
Well, guess what! This is 2008, I STILL have that clue, and the rules haven't changed for all of Christianity - no secular music at Mass. Don't even try to convince me that Danny Boy is sacred. It's not. And that line about "saying an Ave for me" is no more sacred than Dionne Warwick singing that she'll "say a little prayer for you".
Bear-i-tone points out that even a New York bar gets it, not to mention that the song isn't even Irish. (BTW, Bear is an Irish Canadian, and the bar owner in question is Irish-born).
Peace,
BMP
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