Arcadia Ireland

New Orleans has Mardi Gras, Rio de Janeiro has Carnival, and Ireland has… Pancake Tuesday! It might be a bit less spectacular than marching bands and sequined dancers, but Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday does indeed share the same roots as these other festivals - a day for doing something indulgent before the start of a traditional religious fasting period.

Like a lot of traditions the religious element has dropped out and it is now enjoyed as a celebration of springtime and a burst of fun on a weekday! Here in Arcadia’s Dublin office, we are treating our students to pancakes with a choice of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar – a very traditional topping – or everybody’s favourite chocolatey spread, Nutella.

We are certainly in the mood for a bit of a celebration here at Arcadia this week – all of our students are now in country and getting started in their programmes, which is always a wonderful feeling! Classes are getting into swing, friendships are being made – this is what it’s about!

In the midst of this we also have our Éalú community event coming up this week which is always a huge centerpiece of the semester. All of the Arcadia students studying in Ireland will be heading out to stunning County Clare for a week of ‘escape’ including music, dance, the outdoors, and even a chance to win bragging rights in our table quiz. Past students have told us this was a highlight of their semester so we are excited to bring the spring semester students on this experience as well.

Now – those pancakes won’t eat themselves!