Irish American girl compares St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin to New York City

MacGregoor ... lighten up for crissakes.

My Irish cousins came to NYC for St. Patrick's Day and I told them I was going to go to Dublin for the next St. Patrick's Day. They warned me that it was MUCH more fun in the USA.

I very much disagree with the author that St. Patrick's Day in the USA is "isolated" to just the day itself. Events start as early as mid-February and last until early April. Parades begin as early as the first Saturday in March and last until the last Sunday in March.

@MacGregor: The old Irish bagpipe or píob mhór was inflated by the mouth, and was in every respect the same as the Highland bagpipe of today. A 15th century Irish manuscript telling the tale of Fireabas, says at one point “let horns and pipes (piba) be played by you to gather your host.” I believe there is a painting still preserved in Vienna of an Irish piper, by the celebrated Albrecht Dürer, dated 1514. In Holinshed’s Chronicles (1577) for May 1544: “In the same moneth also passed through the citie of London in warlike manner, to the number of seaven hundred Irishmen, having for their weapons darts and handguns with bagpipes before them: and in St. James Park besides Westminster they mustered before the king.” In a poem by John O'Naughton (c. 1650-1728), he refers to the píob mhór. In John Derrick's "The image of Ireland" (1581) a bagpipe is clearly depicted. Later the Irish began to utilise a different type of instument called the uilleann pipe; distinguished from many other forms of bagpipes by their tone and wide range of notes. However as regards the Piob Mhor, it is a pan-Gaelic instrument and while there have been some distinctions over the years, its traditions in Ireland and Scotland are comparable.

Most incredible event of Irish bagpipes? You are a typical Irish-American idiot who celebrates Scottish culture and promotes it as Irish? The only bagpipes that are recorded as being Irish are the Ullien Pipes which do not have bands or drums. The Highland Scottish Pipes have bands and drums and are SCOTTISH. I guess you think kilts are Irish too, right? Idiot.

In Dublin, however, there is definitely a more modern interpretation of Irish culture and arts, one that wouldn’t be found on the whole in the New York City parade. Artistic floats and bright colors - not the overwhelming green and Aran sweaters of New York City - make their way down O’Connell Street. That's because the Irish, in their "Socialist Paradise" think "artesty" thingies are the banner of their Liberal culture. BAH on Nationality and tradition say the Irish. BAH on the canon law of the Catholic church. HOORAH for diversity and perversity. And the 20 percent of the population who are the "activists" make the party rules, whilst the other 80 percent are the sheeple who follow.

Went to the NYC Parade last year...250th anniversary....Most incredible event of Irish bagpipes...Bands ...Marchers .....From all over the area.....The 'Motherland' was well represented...........Very well organized......Did not see one single drunk of any nationality.....On to Boston this year....Hope to have the same fabulous experience as last year....Come on Boston - Make me as proud of my city as much as I am proud of my Irish heritage.

The above article doesn'tt indicate whether the Dublin parade includes contingents from norh of the Brder> If it doesn't, then it differs significantly from the event in N.Y.C., which represents the whole Irish nation.

I some how survived a day in NYC for St. Patrick's Day in the late 1970's. I spent the day and part of the evening in NYC with my good New York City friend Tom McQ. We were sort of a "Planter" Irish, yours truly, and "Nationalist" Irish, Tom, team that day. We did manage to stay out of fights that day and also managed to not talk of Irish politics that day. At the time, with the troubles in the North, there were lots of "Northern Aid" collections going on in Irish-American pubs.