CNN travel writer slams Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day parade

@GeargieD - those of us who do listen to, and play, Irish music are called "Trad Nazis" ...... LOL. Better the name than having to listen to the modern wreckage of traditional (history) songs!

Anyone who has been to Ireland knows that the Temple Bar is a place to visit in the daylight and to avoid like the plaque at night. this is the same situation in many large cities in the world, (New York and Washington DC come to mind}. I have not been to the Dublin St. Pats parade but the Cork parade was quite nice. I will start my 14th two week Irish visit this week and will have no trouble finding traditional music and it won't be in the tourist towns where the brits and yanks outnumber the irish

@WoundedKnee - in order for her to find out Irish people don't like to be called "British" she would have had to have called some of them British. Also, I lived in Dublin for over a year and now spend every summer in Ireland, have relatives and friends there. My husband is Irish and my son is an Irish citizen. I have as much or more experience with Ireland that this author and I am giving my opinion based upon my experience. I've attended St. Patrick's Day parades, and just like many who have posted here, I agree that there was none of the bad behavior this author claims to have seen - but then I went for the parade and wasn't roaming the streets hours afterward. I'm sure the late night revellers get rowdy, just as they do here in the States. The St. Patrick's Day Parade in Ireland is very family and tourist friendly and the festivities usually start with fireworks the day before the parade and a music concert after the parade in Stephen's Green. You, WoundedKnee, have no idea what you're talking about so why even try?

Posted by deburca on Jun 13, 2011, 12:17 AM EDT "Anyone stupid enough to call an Irish person "British" has no business writing about Dublin's St. Patrick's Day parade" And anyone stupid enough to misread an article has no business criticizing its author. Show me where the above author Eva Sandoval called an Irish person "British". Don't lie. And, unlike a lot of posters here, both American and Irish, Eva actually knows Ireland well, since she studied and lived there. There used to be people who were willing to die for Ireland, but this site is full of people who are happy to lie for Ireland. You don't fool anyone, Ireland is a country with a long list of problems, economic, social and cultural. Burying your head in the sand just leaves you with your ass to talk out of.

Anyone stupid enough to call an Irish person "British" has no business writing about Dublin's St. Patrick's Day parade. I've been to it and other than the weather I saw none of the behavior stated in this article. Maybe, I'm not sure, it gets wild after the parade at the bars - just as it does in the US - but the parade itself is a family affair.

She should stay home I march in Philly and they have strict rules let her come there. Better yet let her do a piece on Cinco de Mayo celebrations either in CA or MX she'll see plenty of the same antics. As for not finding real music she must have lost her ears and eyes

We in Ireland have never called any part of Dublin..downtown, that is an american saying. GoergieD is one sick whacko, so full of hatred for the irish people, hatred for the polish and every other nationality, there is one group in America that would love to have him join, he would fit in perfectly although he does sound as if he joined them years ago.

Been in Dublin for St. Patricks and saw absolutely nothing even close to what is mentioned in the article- no vomit at all and no nudity at all. Temple bar was never as described- folks party late, some get loud and intoxicated for sure but that true in many other cities and countries- try spring break hot spots in the States. I have celebrated St Patricks day in both Dublin and Belfast and would gladly do so again.

Anywhere you have large crowds celebrating a national holiday, you will have some who complain that the meaning of the day is lost and there is too much inappropriate behavior. You'll find the same kind of complaints in Washington, DC on July 4th and in Paris on July 14th. That's just human nature. Trolls spouting off with foul smelling moronic drivel on cultural web sites is also par for the course. I'm proud to be Irish everyday and a little bad behavior in the streets on St. Patrick's Day won't tarnish that pride. As for allowing other cultures to join in the celebration, the more the merrier! On 3/17 everyone can be Irish.

St. Patrick's day is about being Irish. Parades are paramount to the atmosphere. It's all about having a fun time and not being too serious. Lighten up vEva Sandoval & CNN.

Stay out of Temple Bar unless you don't mind paying 6 Euro ans 50 Pence (Approx. $10) for a pint. Come out of Temple Bar on to Dame Street, cross over at the Lights to Great Georges Street. Walk up about 200 Yards to the first Traffic Lights at William Street, 3rd shop on left is a pub...3 euro ( a little over $2 for a Pint of Guinness, Carlsberg or Budweiser. Drink with the locals, you can't go wrong. You can always go down to Temple Bar later when you get a glow on. Do not eat or drink in Temple Bar!!!!!

Who cares what Eva what's her name said? On a related note, when I first moved to San Francisco in the late 70s, I was on a bus on my way home from work. There were two old Irish women sitting in front of me talking. The one lady asked the other about the upcoming Gay parade (they were fairly new then and she had never seen one). The other woman, who appeared to be the expert on gay parades (at least according to her) said (in a beautiful Irish brogue) "Oh honey, their parades are just like our St. Patrick's Day Parades, everybody dresses up silly, gets drunk and eventually heads home". I laughed and laughed. But you know, she was kind of right.

The "Dubs" failed to realize that the parade in New York is highly regulated and used to show that "we" are a respectable people - not a mob.

In Pittsburgh, the St. Patrick's Day Parade is a family event. Organizers have curtained public drinking in the Parade route, which the police are enforcing. Actually, it's the Bars, that promote St. Patrick's Day as a Drinking Holiday. Bars in Pittsburgh have been hurt by the Drunk Driving Laws, since the 80's. St. Patrick to the Bars is like Christmas is to the Department Stores. Anti-St. Patrick Day stories are just journalist with nothing on there minds trying to write something.

Momma Ginnty: "Pakistan Nigeria Afghanistan was never mentioned because it does not happen" Momma, you're an inveterate liar. Or maybe just a dope--a few weeks back you told us that you didn't know where downtown Dublin was. Are you sure you were in Dublin on 3/17? Because if you viewed the parade you'd have seen seen countless floats manned by people from the countries I mentioned. and a dozen others. Why doesn't Dublin give up scamming tourists by claiming to mount an Irish festival on 3/17? It isn't an Irish festival, it's more like a festival of All World Cultures (except Ireland's). As to haterjacer, it's obvious he has no interest or love for Irish music, because if he did he wouldn't claim it can be heard widely in Dublin. Most Irish people such as haterjacer actually sneer at Irish music, which they call Diddle-Die music. The Irish--we can't respect them, because they haven't earned our respect.