St Patricks Day in Ireland how it's celebrated
By: Susan Byron | Published Thursday, October 7, 2010, 7:05 AM | Updated Friday, September 9, 2011, 9:51 PM
Despite what you may have been told there is a lot more to
Ireland than shamrocks, leprechauns and crocks of gold and to be honest before the Millennium, St Patricks Day was no big deal in Ireland, the whole razzmatazz surrounding it now was more an invention of Irish emigrants worldwide finding an excuse to celebrate their roots on the day. So here in Ireland, we would never actually drink green beer or dye whole rivers green like in
Chicago. We have unfortunately adopted the whole silly hats thing.......
Traditionally, you donned your homemade St Patricks badge or fist of shamrock went to Mass and then if you lived near
Dublin went to the parade to watch the marching bands and the odd float, now St Patricks is a huge festival lasting a week, with various cultural and fun events for all the family and visitors, with an estimated 500,000 cramming the city centre for the parade on St Patricks Day. There is even a huge fireworks display at alternative venues throughout Ireland, but Dublin is the place to be if you can make it on the day.
Down the country, although there are lots more localised parades, St Patricks Day is still more likely to celebrated traditionally especially on the islands and in
Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) areas with traditional music and dancing, gaa matches, drinking too but that’s okay, its every Irishmans prerogative and a custom to be able to break their Lenten fast on St Patricks Day.
To find out more visit
www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/st-patricks-dayor download the following free
iPhone app
http://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/st-patricks-day/id359998636?mt=8 where you will learn more about Ireland in 5 mins then most wanabee Irish find out in a lifetime including the following:-
St Patrick, the legend who drove the snakes out of Ireland.
Hill of Tara, ancient seat of the high kings of Ireland.
Fairies & Leprechauns, the truth ?
St Patricks Day or Paddys Day in Ireland.
The Parades their history & the story of Macnas.
Irish dancing and the legend of Riverdance.
Traditional Music where to hear it for free.
Gaelic Sports football hurling & camogie .
National Anthems pride of our nation .
Irish Food including Irish stew, soda bread, etc
Guinness how to tell a good pint?
Irish Coffee, what makes a good one?
The other great national drink?
Susan Byron author of Irelands Hidden Gems.com
Despite what you may have been told there is a lot more to Ireland than shamrocks, leprechauns and crocks of gold and to be honest before the Millennium, St Patricks Day was no big deal in Ireland, the whole razzmatazz surrounding it now was more an invention of Irish emigrants worldwide finding an excuse to celebrate their roots on the day. So here in Ireland, we would never actually drink green beer or dye whole rivers green like in Chicago. We have unfortunately adopted the whole silly hats thing.......
6 Comments
-
-
-
-
-
-
Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.DrTrelawney | Mar 06, 2011, 10:42 AM EST
It's always been ghastly here. Now, it's just ghastly in a different way. Like most sensible people, I am getting out of Ireland for the day -- to Berlin -- and shall be pretending that the jamboree of vomiting and vulgar face-painting is not happening.
Monsoonman | Oct 06, 2010, 11:00 PM EDT
Georgedillon...and horror of horrors, there was a contingent of rabbis riding their green yamahas in this years Dublin parade!
lawyer4 | Oct 06, 2010, 06:58 PM EDT
To get a less one-sided / really rounded understanding of Ireland, you should also find out more about the Orange Order parades (12th July etc.) and the Apprentice Boys marches in Derry.
GeorgeDillon | Oct 06, 2010, 02:40 PM EDT
The author of this piece is talking drivel. St Patrick's Day has been a big day in ireland for many decades. It's baloney to say it's only got big in the past decade. I don't like what St Patrick's Day in Ireland has become. It's much more of a boozefest. Just to prove my point, I was driving thru the countryside with a friend a couple of years ago at about 2:30 on the afternoon of St patrick's Day. We were stopped by police and my friend was given a sobriety test!!! (He passed, since nothing but coffee had touched his lips). But it goes to show that the police know that people are boozing from early in the morning, if they are already looking for drunks by 2:30. I do not recommend St Patrick's Day in Dublin to anyone. There's a lot of underaged drinking (and other stuff too--I saw fellatio being performed on the street around midday, and fights break out around 2 p.m). The parade in Dublin is a farce--it's full of Africans, Pakistanis etc. who are doing their thing. That might be interesting to look at, but it has zilch to do with Irish tradition or culture. Not even irish music in the parade, they prefer zombies shuffling along banging tamourings. If they want to have a Migrant Worker Appreciation Day they should pick some other date--leave March 17th to the Irish. All in all, the Dublin Parade and surrounding atmospehre is awful--never again.
Monsoonman | Oct 06, 2010, 10:38 AM EDT
If you have ever hiked through the woods and fields and almost stepped on a poisonous snake, you will know that it changes the experience after that. So hats off to st. pat for making hiking a carefree experience in Ireland.
Ajreaper | Oct 06, 2010, 09:56 AM EDT
Was in Dublin last March for St. Pats and with out question it was a great time. Spent the afternoon at Croke park watching the senior club finals in Hurling then the evening in Temple bar- it'll be hard for future St Patricks days to live up to that one. We'll give it go in Belfast in 2011.