K. O. Sempatrick's Day and the fenian rising
- Kimmage Outer: Kimmage is a district to the south of Dublin → FW 072.20
- Saint Patrick's Day: 17 March
- Fenian Rising: a rebellion against British rule in Ireland carried out in 1867 by the Irish Republican Brotherhood
Commentary
Roland McHugh (Annotations to Finnegans Wake) interprets Sempatrick's Day and the fenian rising as referring to the numbers 17 and 67, which are alluded to again in connection with Kimmage Outer on page 72. St patrick's day falls on the 17th of March and the Fenian Rising took place in '67.
J. S. Atherton (Islam and the Koran in Finnegans Wake) believes that Sempatrick's Day, March 17th, refers to 3:17 in the Koran. That is to say, Sura 3 (Al-E-Imran, "The House of Imran"), Verse 17, which reads: "Those who show patience, Firmness and self-control; who are true (in word and deed); who worship devoutly; who spend (in the way of Allah); and who pray for forgiveness in the early hours of the morning."
Sura 17 (Al-Isra, "The Night Journey"), Verse 67, reads: "When distress seizes you at sea, those that ye call upon - besides Himself - leave you in the lurch! but when He brings you back safe to land, ye turn away (from Him). Most ungrateful is man!"
