St Patrick's Day in Ireland
 

Has anyone done this? Worth the trip? When are most of the festivities held? And where...Dublin? I am more interested in a countryside experience but my husband really wants to celebrate in Dublin. We are American expats living in Brussels so this is a short trip for us.



TIA!

We were in Ireland a few years ago on St Patrick's Day. We were not in Dublin but heard that it is the only place that has festivities. We were in Galway. They had very little decorations, no green beer :-) etc. We celebrate it here in the states more then they do. In Ireland it is a religious holiday so if it's a party you want I would say go with your husbands idea and then take off for the countryside.

Thanks cd. It *is* a party my husband is looking for :) He went to the big St Patty' celebration in Savannah, GA a few years ago and thinks this will be a similar celebration on a larger scale. I am afraid he might be disappointed.

I wouldnt get too excited about St Pats day in Ireland if I were you Booker, its not half as exciting as it is in the USA, we have festivities in every county, but some of the counties are better than others, basically its a parade that last anything between an hour to two hours, then most people head to the pub or have dinner with family or friends and if St Pats day happens to fall on a weekend, then a lot of people would spend the weekend abroad or in other counties, to be honest its no big deal here, so dont get yourself too excited you will be disappointed by the whole thing.

we dont have green beer in Ireland. Stay in Brussels and go to the wild geese or Kitty O Sheas, there will be festivities there.

Last time I had green beer and pizza in America I got so sick...bloody food colouring makes me ill.

Dublin is your best bet. I love Paddy's day here as its more a festival over a few days. There is a fun fair with rides, the Fireworks at Custom House (Get a walkman and listen to the music they choose for it). I try to see some of the Parade (its more for kids and less Marching bands than the U.S. Then we go have a look at the Monster Ceili usually taking place near St Stephens Green. It's all kinds of Music. A few years back they had people teaching you to irish set dance etc. then we usually head off to a few pubs or get a corner in one and meet some friends. Its a fun few days and lots of people come to Ireland this time of year so its a fun atmosphere.

We spent St Patrick's Day in Doolin in 2003. Our spring break week happened to fall at that time. Doolin had a village wide parade, with St. P himself riding on the first wagon (bishops costume, bright green, long white beard, large shepards crook). Parade featured local businesses, schools and service groups - boats, trucks, wagons, horses and lots of kids on bicycles.

Nothing rowdy, no green beer. But everyone stopped at the pub after the parade, which piped its local music outside on speakers, where everyone was gathered to celebrate the holiday.

Wonderful memory, which still brings a big smile with recall.

SusanEva

Hello lucielou (and everyone)!
Just registered to be able to join your conversations :)
I read many of your posts and found them very helpful. My friend would love to spend St. Patrick's in Dublin next year (since he's of Irish origin!). However, we are on tight budget and seen the prices double for this one weekend. Do you perhaps have any tips to affordable and decent accommodation? This would be our very first trip to Dublin :)

Anyone who has some experience, please share

As to regard St. Patrick's celebrations, I found those in London quite fun. The Irish population there is high and they are so bond! Definitely recommend to join the parade and then follow the crowd to pub :)
Have fun

Hello lucielou (and everyone)!
Just registered to be able to join your conversations :)
I read many of your posts and found them very helpful. My friend would love to spend St. Patrick's in Dublin next year (since he's of Irish origin!). However, we are on tight budget and seen the prices double for this one weekend. Do you perhaps have any tips to affordable and decent accommodation? This would be our very first trip to Dublin :)

Anyone who has some experience, please share ([email protected])

As to regard St. Patrick's celebrations, I found those in London quite fun. The Irish population there is high and they are so bond! Definitely recommend to join the parade and then follow the crowd to pub :)
Thank you and have fun

Welcome 4mccoy! Nice to have you join the conversation. I'm a pretty new poster too, but have been lurking/reading for a long time. Decided it was time to give back if possible. Good luck in planning the Dublin trip!

SusanEva