George versus Patrick

If it weren't for the doodle on google.co.uk, I wouldn't have known that today is St. George's Day.  Perhaps I should have figured it out when I saw a throng of guys in faux chain mail sword fighting on my way home.  Come to think of it, I had no idea that St. George is the patron saint of England until I moved here. 

Contrast that with St Patrick, the Irish equivalent, who manages to get extra special attention in Seattle, Cambridge, and just about any city I've been in on March 17th.  Maybe there's something to be said for the enthusiasm of the Irish diaspora but that doesn't explain why St Paddy's day gets more attention than St George's day in England.  Or maybe there's something to be said for the fact Guinness spends millions on ads in the US but you would be hard pressed to find a pint of Carling or Green King.  I'm not quite sure what makes one holiday more celebrated than another but it sure seems that George got a raw deal.