Ireland over St. Patrick's Day
Jan 13th, 2014, 12:15 PM
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Ireland over St. Patrick's Day
Hi All,
I just booked my flight and I'll be in Ireland over St. Patrick's day, which I'm really excited for. Now the only thing is where in Ireland should I be to celebrate. I've read Dublin is usually the best place but I want to make sure I don't miss out on anything great someplace else either.
I just booked my flight and I'll be in Ireland over St. Patrick's day, which I'm really excited for. Now the only thing is where in Ireland should I be to celebrate. I've read Dublin is usually the best place but I want to make sure I don't miss out on anything great someplace else either.
Jan 13th, 2014, 12:56 PM
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Galway or Limerick... Dublin provided you leave the vicinity before it gets daft and the typecast Irish drunken eejits take over.
Where are you flying into, what date, which places do "You" want to see things "you"want to do?
Where are you flying into, what date, which places do "You" want to see things "you"want to do?
Jan 13th, 2014, 12:56 PM
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We were in Ireland over St Patrick's a few years ago and were disappointed, we in the US celebrate more than those in Ireland, except for Dublin, so you're on the right track there. In Ireland it's mainly a religious holiday.
Jan 13th, 2014, 01:03 PM
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http://www.stpatricksfestival.ie/ good link, I want to do it one year. I did Arthur's day in Galway once but they said the college kids made a mess of it. No more glass allowed since there were broke bottles everywhere. The parade is fun my friends have said. They do dress up in green so have a good time.
Jan 13th, 2014, 01:16 PM
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St Paddy's day I believe began its all out green beer and party thing in Bohstun not in Ireland though now it is catching on a bit in the Old Country where yes it is my understanding it is mainly a religious holiday to Ireland's patron Saint (I believe - the one who rid Ireland of snakes) - may be sacrilegious to some I suspect.
q - In Northern Ireland do they drink Orange beer on St Paddy's Day? Reminds me of the song "my father was orange and my mother were green."
http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-orang...sh-rovers.html
q - In Northern Ireland do they drink Orange beer on St Paddy's Day? Reminds me of the song "my father was orange and my mother were green."
http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-orang...sh-rovers.html
Jan 13th, 2014, 01:59 PM
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You want green beer and Patties day go to New York or similar
Irish for some reason are happy to be Irish without going overboard to prove their grannies were born here.
Now we have the mutual typecasting out of the way --
The Biggest Parade is Dublin, gets on the TV and everything else. Then there is the likes of Galway and Limerick which are fair sized affairs. Then local parades which range form one man and his dog carrying a sacrament from one church to another, to a walk (pilgrimage style)up a remote mountain, to just a local community get together and ceilli.
It is possibly Ireland's largest national festival and generally a good humoured affair which can be spoiled by some over exuberance of youth in places.
Irish for some reason are happy to be Irish without going overboard to prove their grannies were born here.
Now we have the mutual typecasting out of the way --
The Biggest Parade is Dublin, gets on the TV and everything else. Then there is the likes of Galway and Limerick which are fair sized affairs. Then local parades which range form one man and his dog carrying a sacrament from one church to another, to a walk (pilgrimage style)up a remote mountain, to just a local community get together and ceilli.
It is possibly Ireland's largest national festival and generally a good humoured affair which can be spoiled by some over exuberance of youth in places.
Jan 13th, 2014, 08:08 PM
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Padraig, our experience when we were in Ireland on St Patrick's Day was that we in the US celebrated by partying more than they did.
Google: "In America, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated with parades and feasts of corned beef and cabbage, and among many, with extensive drinking (drowning the shamrock). To the Irish in Ireland, however, the day is first a feast and holy day, celebrated with a week-long tradition of festivities. Mass on St. Patrick's Day is de rigueur, and if one stops at a pub for a pint or two afterward, it's not an uncommon occurrence. But there's no influence to drink more because of the holiday. In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is treated like any other saint's day."
Google: "In America, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated with parades and feasts of corned beef and cabbage, and among many, with extensive drinking (drowning the shamrock). To the Irish in Ireland, however, the day is first a feast and holy day, celebrated with a week-long tradition of festivities. Mass on St. Patrick's Day is de rigueur, and if one stops at a pub for a pint or two afterward, it's not an uncommon occurrence. But there's no influence to drink more because of the holiday. In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is treated like any other saint's day."
Jan 13th, 2014, 09:58 PM
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" In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is treated like any other saint's day.""
Cobblers.
In the Irish Republic, where 70% of Ireland's population live, it's the national day. Though only 18% of its resident citizens claim to go to Mass "regularly" (= most Sundays and Days of Obligation), slightly more than that might do on St Patrick's Day - but most people in the republic won't go to church on St Patrick's day
But there'll still be 20 times more going than the number going on any other saint's day. No-one dresses up like an eejit to celebrate even St Columba's feast day - and, with the arguable exception of the holiday known in Irish as the Day of the Wren, no other saint's feast day is a national holiday
In Northern Ireland, where the other 30% live, the day divides the community, even though it's a public holiday. Most of the (just) majority population simply ignore it, though, predictably, among the lunatic fringe of the majority there are some attempts every year to disrupt, often violently, the day's public celebrations.
Hard core Ulster Calvinism (the dominant affinity among the majority) find the very concept of saints theologically repugnant. To it, Northern Ireland's national day is four months later and celebrates the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when accountable democracy prevailed over an absolutist monarchy (though their definition of accountable democracy isn't quite the same as Parliament's).
On two issues, practising Catholics, lapsed Catholics (the largest single religious grouping in Ireland), Anglicans, Ulster Protestants and the lunatics all agree:
- No-one with a brain would ruin decent beer by pouring dye into it, and
- No-one could call American Budweiser decent beer.
Cobblers.
In the Irish Republic, where 70% of Ireland's population live, it's the national day. Though only 18% of its resident citizens claim to go to Mass "regularly" (= most Sundays and Days of Obligation), slightly more than that might do on St Patrick's Day - but most people in the republic won't go to church on St Patrick's day
But there'll still be 20 times more going than the number going on any other saint's day. No-one dresses up like an eejit to celebrate even St Columba's feast day - and, with the arguable exception of the holiday known in Irish as the Day of the Wren, no other saint's feast day is a national holiday
In Northern Ireland, where the other 30% live, the day divides the community, even though it's a public holiday. Most of the (just) majority population simply ignore it, though, predictably, among the lunatic fringe of the majority there are some attempts every year to disrupt, often violently, the day's public celebrations.
Hard core Ulster Calvinism (the dominant affinity among the majority) find the very concept of saints theologically repugnant. To it, Northern Ireland's national day is four months later and celebrates the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when accountable democracy prevailed over an absolutist monarchy (though their definition of accountable democracy isn't quite the same as Parliament's).
On two issues, practising Catholics, lapsed Catholics (the largest single religious grouping in Ireland), Anglicans, Ulster Protestants and the lunatics all agree:
- No-one with a brain would ruin decent beer by pouring dye into it, and
- No-one could call American Budweiser decent beer.
Jan 14th, 2014, 12:37 AM
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"In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is treated like any other saint's day."
There is some truth in that: in terms of religious observance, the Irish generally pay little attention to saints' days. And St. Patrick's day does not fill the churches.
St Patrick's Day in Ireland means parades of varying size and quality, a lot of drinking, and a few cultural events such as céilís (dancing to Irish music).
For the minority who are religiously-observant, it is regarded as a day off from the penitential period of Lent. Children who have "given up" sweets until Easter gorge themselves for the day. Some adults who have given up drink gorge on drink for the day.
In some ways, the day is like Ireland's Mardi Gras.
There is some truth in that: in terms of religious observance, the Irish generally pay little attention to saints' days. And St. Patrick's day does not fill the churches.
St Patrick's Day in Ireland means parades of varying size and quality, a lot of drinking, and a few cultural events such as céilís (dancing to Irish music).
For the minority who are religiously-observant, it is regarded as a day off from the penitential period of Lent. Children who have "given up" sweets until Easter gorge themselves for the day. Some adults who have given up drink gorge on drink for the day.
In some ways, the day is like Ireland's Mardi Gras.
Jan 14th, 2014, 03:04 AM
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Go to the parade in Dublin if you must - get there early because it gets very crowded. Then get the hell out of town - it turns very ugly and drunken very quickly.
The only places serving green beer will be those catering to gullible tourists. Similarly, corned beef and cabbage is emphatically not an Irish tradition in Ireland - bacon and cabbage (or better still, colcannon) is though. (On a tour of New York, we were told that the 19th century Irish immigrants to the city couldn't source bacon because most of the shops were owned by the previous wave of immigrants - Jewish people from Eastern Europe - so they made do with corned beef instead, and so a new tradition was born! Never really caught on in the "old country" though).
Local parades, like the one in my home town, are a lot of fun in a low-key way. If you're interested in sport, the All-Ireland Club Hurling and Football Finals are on in Croke Park in on St Patrick's Day and are great fun to attend. Similarly the posher Leinster Schools' Senior Rugby Final is usually on in the Aviva Stadium in Lansdowne Road - go and see Upper Class Dubln at play!
Really though, despite the efforts to Americanise it, St. Patrick's Day has always been a famiily day in Ireland, so if you're looking for razzamatazz then look to the States!
The only places serving green beer will be those catering to gullible tourists. Similarly, corned beef and cabbage is emphatically not an Irish tradition in Ireland - bacon and cabbage (or better still, colcannon) is though. (On a tour of New York, we were told that the 19th century Irish immigrants to the city couldn't source bacon because most of the shops were owned by the previous wave of immigrants - Jewish people from Eastern Europe - so they made do with corned beef instead, and so a new tradition was born! Never really caught on in the "old country" though).
Local parades, like the one in my home town, are a lot of fun in a low-key way. If you're interested in sport, the All-Ireland Club Hurling and Football Finals are on in Croke Park in on St Patrick's Day and are great fun to attend. Similarly the posher Leinster Schools' Senior Rugby Final is usually on in the Aviva Stadium in Lansdowne Road - go and see Upper Class Dubln at play!
Really though, despite the efforts to Americanise it, St. Patrick's Day has always been a famiily day in Ireland, so if you're looking for razzamatazz then look to the States!
Jan 14th, 2014, 06:23 AM
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thanks everyone
I'm not going to Ireland just for St. Patrick's Day, but when I was planning my trip I thought it would be nice that I could experience how the Irish celebrate it. I'm not looking for the green beer that we Americans drink, I'm just looking for a more authentic experience, not just a drunken stupor haha
From what I got from everyone, Dublin seems like a good call especially once I looked on the website. Some Gaelic games would be pretty neat to attend also. So it seems like I'll have plenty to do.
I'll be flying into Dublin on the 11th and staying until the 26th of March so I figured I'd travel a few days then maybe come back to Dublin over the St. Patrick's day weekend. Then after that I'll be wanting to play plenty of golf for the rest of the time I'm there. Pretty excited for it all.
I'm not going to Ireland just for St. Patrick's Day, but when I was planning my trip I thought it would be nice that I could experience how the Irish celebrate it. I'm not looking for the green beer that we Americans drink, I'm just looking for a more authentic experience, not just a drunken stupor haha
From what I got from everyone, Dublin seems like a good call especially once I looked on the website. Some Gaelic games would be pretty neat to attend also. So it seems like I'll have plenty to do.
I'll be flying into Dublin on the 11th and staying until the 26th of March so I figured I'd travel a few days then maybe come back to Dublin over the St. Patrick's day weekend. Then after that I'll be wanting to play plenty of golf for the rest of the time I'm there. Pretty excited for it all.
Jan 14th, 2014, 07:38 AM
#15
We spent St. Patrick's Day in a small town in Ireland and it reminded us more of Memorial Day in the US. Parades with scouts and floats, family get togethers, perhaps attending Mass. Nothing like what it has morphed into in the US. Men wore shamrocks, roots and all, pinned to their coats.
In the evening we went to a pub where everyone took turns singing a favorite Irish song.
In the evening we went to a pub where everyone took turns singing a favorite Irish song.
