US PRESIDENT JOE Biden was full of the joys of friendship today as he welcomed Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to the Oval Office.
The President spoke of how Ireland and the US are “good friends” and drew on what he described in the meeting as an old Irish saying about friendship that his Grandfather Finnegan used to say.
You know the one, “May the hinges of our friendship never go rusty.”
Although the sentiment was well intended, it seems President Biden may be a little off in his attribution for the “old Irish saying”.
Biden told Varadkar: “He had all these sayings. You know, the Irish in America always think they’re more Irish than the Irish.”
Not to be extremely pedantic about the whole thing, but the phrase actually appears to have originated as a Scottish drinking toast.
Although to be fair to the US President, the internet is awash with claims that the saying is an Irish toast.
It has also made the cut on a number of lists of Irish proverbs, sayings and toasts.
"May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty. And our ale never turn musty." - Irish Toast #Sláinte!
— Irish Quote (@IrishQuote) November 1, 2013
In reality though, the phrase seems to have first been documented in the 19th century in Reminiscences of Scottish Life & Character, a book by the Scotsman Edward Bannerman Ramsay.
In a chapter documenting Scottish drinking culture, Ramsay lists several Scottish drinking toasts.
Among them (you guessed it): “May the hinges o’ freendship never rust, or the wings o’ luve lose a feather.”
Ramsay’s description of the toasts has stood the test of time in some ways.
Here’s how he explained the practice of ‘Highland honours’:
“Sometimes certain toasts were accompanied by Highland honours. This was a very exciting, and to a stranger a somewhat alarming, proceeding. I recollect my astonishment the first time I witnessed the ceremony–the company, from sitting quietly drinking their wine, seemed to assume the attitude of harmless maniacs, allowed to amuse themselves. The moment the toast was given, and proposed to be drunk with Highland honours, the gentlemen all rose, and with one foot on their chair and another on the table, they drank the toast with Gaelic shrieks, which were awful to hear, the cheering being under the direction of a toast-master appointed to direct the proceedings.”
Given the Gaelic connections between Ireland and Scotland it’s perhaps understandable how Irish Americans have made the mistake.
And at least for Biden, he isn’t the first US President to misattribute a phrase or saying as Irish.
Rewind to this same weekend in 2017 and then President Donald Trump had made a similar slip-up when an “Irish proverb” he quoted was claimed by a Nigerian poet.
Have literally never heard this in my entire life. https://t.co/3gSBhbvdl2
— Christine Bohan (@ChristineBohan) March 16, 2017
Trump said in a speech: “As we stand together with our Irish friends, I’m reminded of that proverb – and this is a good one, this is one I like. I’ve heard it for many, many years and I love it.”
He continued: “Always remember to forget the friends that proved untrue. But never forget to remember those that have stuck by you.”
After Irish people took to Twitter to point out that they had never heard the phrase before, it was revealed that it was part of a poem by Albasheer Adam Alhassan, a Nigerian banker.
According to CNN, versions of the poem have been traced back to as early as the 1930s.
Nevertheless, seven years later if you Google the phrase, you’ll still find plenty of images of the quote printed on quintessential Irish designs.
So while the official tradition might be handing over the bowl of shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day, we say we might have a new and more awkward one on our hands.
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