Irish Examiner View: On a strange Mother's Day, don’t forget the roses

American chocolatiers are obviously far more influential than their Irish peers.

That country, formally known as the land of the free, the home of the brave, marks Mother’s Day in May while we mark it around the middle of Lent.

Our celebration, which falls Sunday, arrives when myriad Irish mammies are — despite everything — still fasting, so a greater force might smile on their longed-for hopes, hopes that invariably involve their children.

American chocolatiers free from Lent’s religious constraints can expect, even in our coronavirus world, a significant fillip for the businesses in May while their Irish counterparts must aim lower.

What a neat example of two world’s colliding — the makey-uppy razamataz construction we call Mother’s Day and the fading strictures of religion, guilt, penance, and, occasionally, exaggerated piety.

One is a catalyst for a little excitement and a family indulgence of a beloved mother. The other a formal reminder of principles and beliefs many hold sacred.

It just may be that this year, as an unprecedented threat dominates our world, mothers of all kinds are remembered and honoured with Irish Roses, from a box or the florist.