There’s a scene in The Devil’s Own where Sheila makes corned beef and cabbage for Rory, who is a houseguest from Ireland, to help make him feel at home. The only problem is Rory had no idea what it was.

At some point, we are all Sheila when we discover there is no corned beef in Ireland. For the most part, they really don’t know what it is. In no way, shape, or form is corned beef Irish.

And yet, it’s on the menu at each and every Irish pub across the United States. It’s on the table of nearly every Irish (and those pretending to be Irish for the day) household.

For some Irish-Americans, they don’t have corned beef. Instead, they opt for much more traditional fare. That includes shepherds pie, lamb stew, fish and chips, or bangers and mash. It’s understandable because corned beef and cabbage is decidedly not Irish.

While not Irish, it is decidedly Irish-American. Moreover, having it on St. Patrick’s Day is not only celebrating our culture but also celebrating how far Irish people have came.

As denoted many places, including Delish and the Smithsonian, corned beef and cabbage was born out of poverty and necessity. When the Irish came to America, they were poor and faced prejudice. As a result, they couldn’t afford the foods they regularly enjoyed in their homeland.

What they could afford was corned beef and cabbage. And so, that’s what they ate instead of the bacon they loved. In large part, that’s why we eat it today.

Being this is an Irish story, you’d expect some irony. Here it is.

Corned beef was actually once an Irish delicacy. During the years of British rule and oppression, the Irish were forced to slaughter their cows with Irish beef being renown across the world.

The beef was cured with corn sized pieces of salt giving the delicacy its name. For centuries, everyone sought to enjoy Irish corned beef. Of course, everyone but the Irish who could not afford it.

That was not until they emigrated to the United States and purchased it from Jewish neighborhoods. They did it because that’s what they could afford. With that, a tradition was born.

So, if you’re Irish-American, there is no better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than having corned beef and cabbage. By having it, you’re celebrating just how far the Irish people have come, and you’re doing it by having an Irish delicacy.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.