Arcadia Ireland

Ah, St. Patrick’s Day. The day where tourists flock to Dublin and most Irish people get the flock out of Dublin! It reigns as the most Irish day in modern history and with gawdy green geansaís (sweaters, in Gaelic!) galore and craic (fun) and merriment a-plenty it’s always a great day for celebrating. It is one that is loved by young and old, but it does span further afield than the crowded streets of Dublin’s Temple Bar.

As you may or may not know, the origins of St. Patrick’s Day come from Christian beliefs. It is said that St. Patrick came to Ireland on a mission to teach the Pagan Irish about Christianity. He did so using the shamrock to teach the Holy Trinity, and this is where the wearing of the shamrock tradition stemmed from (yes, that was intentional.) There is a myth that he also banished snakes from Ireland, even though we never had any, but this is thought to be more in reference to the Irish Druids that he was hoping to cast out. For years, St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland was only recognised as a religious celebration and it is relatively recently that the idea of a more recreational holiday came to the fore. The tradition of parades actually began in North America and only reached Ireland about 100 years ago. Wexford was the first Irish town to have a parade and the tradition grew quickly from there.

Although it is not a patch on the huge parades that take place in large American cities, Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is quite the spectacle. It may not be quite as big, but you can be guaranteed that the craic will be twice that of our oversea brethren. On Friday, Dublin will be- for want of a better word- mental! Paddy’s Day is a national holiday so all schools and most businesses will be closed, making it a heavily anticipated three day weekend. Every Paddy’s Day there is a sea of green all over Ireland and the atmosphere around the country is electric. The festival actually goes on for four days in the country’s capital and with the Six Nations clash against England on Saturday and the All- Ireland Club Championship on Saturday too, the city is going to be positively buzzing. A great website to keep up to date on exactly what’s going on in Dublin is visitdublin.com. Along with the parades and sporting events, there will be live music events and parties happening all round the city.

It’s more than likely that the majority of Irish people won’t make the trek up to Dublin for the big parade. There is a strong community feel surrounding Patrick’s Day and lots of people will spend it in their home town at their local parades. If you’re not a fan of crowds and you want to see something really authentic, I would advise going to a local parade. As a young lass I remember proudly walking down the street of my local town dressed as the Teletubbie  LaLa (if you don’t know what that is, and you want a laugh, have a look here!) On other occasions I was a superhero, and then was just a regular old dancer on another. My point here is that local parades are exactly that- local. They are set up by the community and they’re enjoyed by the people that live there. Floats usually consist of someone’s van adorned in green and made into some sort of tacky monstrosity- its brilliant. Our national news channel will show the highlights of the day on the 6 o’clock news, and honestly, it’s an integral part of the day. If you manage to get on the news you know you’ve made it (side note, I have yet to make it onto the news.)

There are some other weird and wonderful traditions that anyone celebrating Paddy’s Day in Ireland should be familiar with. For example, the ‘get out of jail free card’ idea when it comes to people’s Lenten promises. In Ireland, most people give up something for lent, even if they are not particularly religious. It’s a good excuse to not eat chocolate for a few weeks and to see if you can stay away from the temptation. Having said this, it is an unwritten rule that everyone can ‘break’ lent on Patrick’s Day. Adults usually use it to have a few jars (drinks), and children usually hoard chocolate for weeks and then pig out on the big day. It probably defeats the purpose of lent a little, but it’s a great tradition all the same.

Patrick’s Day really is more of a celebration for children in Ireland and another regular occurrence is the green ‘non-uniform day’ in school. Lots of Primary schools will have a day leading up to Paddy’s where the students don’t have to wear their regular uniform but can instead wear top to toe green. Hats, face-paints and green leggings are everywhere and each child usually gives €2 for the privilege. The money is then donated to a charity so it really is a win/win situation. Parade parties are a done thing too, and lots of families will get together with lots of sweets and treats and enjoy the parade on TV. It’s a lot less crowded when you’re in your sitting room!

Get to the Dublin parade, get to a local parade, or stay in and have a parade party. Whatever you do, wear green and have a fantastic St. Patrick’s Day. We can’t wait for the pictures!

''Lá Fhéile Pádraig Shona Duit'' ('Happy St. Patrick's Day to You' in Irish!)