Northern Ireland has a bank holiday on 17 March …
Just like the Republic of Ireland. Given the Troubles, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade didn’t occur until 1998. Today, there are well-attended and colourful celebrations in Belfast, Derry, Downpatrick, Newry, Armagh and Enniskillen.
Search Flights To Northern Ireland
St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most-loved public holidays in Ireland …
Breaking up that long stretch between New Year’s and Easter. Although it was made an official holiday in 1903, it was only in the 1960s that one could drown the shamrock in a pub (that’s when you pull the shamrock off your lapel and throw it into the last drink of the night).
Sales of Guinness soar on St. Patrick’s Day…
According to recent figures from the drinks giant 5.5 million pints of the black stuff are downed around the world each day. On 17 March, the number more than doubles to 13 million pints.
Montserrat…
This welcoming home to Irish slaves in the 17th century is one of the few places outside Ireland where St. Patrick’s Day is a public holiday. Its festival runs for one week (10-19 March) with a Freedom Run, calypso competition, nature hike and a reconstructed Slave Village teeming with stalls selling delicious African-Irish delicacies.
St Patrick was not Irish…
He was from Wales. And the humble shamrock was, originally, a teaching tool; St Patrick used the three-leaved plant to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) to the pagan Irish.
Boston …
Lays claim to the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1737, however, it was the people of New York who got together and had the first organised parade in 1766. Today, about 36 million Americans claim Irish descent.
Back in the day, the colour most associated with St Patrick was …
Blue. St. Patrick’s blue was considered symbolic of Ireland for many centuries and the Irish Presidential Standard is still blue. While small splashes of green were worn as far back as 1681, it was only when political factions started adopting the colour green that it became synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day.
For many years, Dripsey in County Cork had the world’s shortest parade…
Just 23.4 metres (77 feet) between two pubs – The Weigh Inn and The Lee Valley. Sadly, The Lee Valley Inn closed in 2007 and now the town of Hot Springs, Arkansas claims to have the shortest parade – a 30-metre (98 feet) route on Bridge Street. Recent participants included the Irish Elvises and the San Diego Chicken.
In Sydney …
St Patrick’s Day was first marked on 17 March 1810. Lachlan Macquarie, the Governor of New South Wales, provided entertainment for Irish convict workers. In 2010, the Sydney Opera House was lit up in green for the first time to mark the 200th anniversary.
Go to Ireland on 17 March …
And you won’t find very many public figures, musicians or dancers. They will have fanned out around the world for lucrative gigs, and, in the case of Irish politicians, to drum up some trade.
We’re used to seeing rivers and fountains dyed green…
The Chicago River is the most famous example of this, but in Seattle, Washington, a green stripe is laid along the centre of 4th Avenue to mark the route of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade (from 4th Ave at Jefferson up to Westlake Park). The ceremony is carried out the night before the parade (Friday, 16 March this year).
The shamrock gifted to the American president at the White House is grown in …
County Kerry. The Taoiseach and the president (President O’Bama for the day no doubt) wear their best green ties, pose for the media with the crystal bowl that overflows with the lush, green shamrock, exchange friendly words about Ireland-US relations and then… the Secret Service take it away and destroys it.
In Dublin …
The first Saint Patrick’s Festival was held on 17 March 1996. This year’s theme – “Great Things Happen When We Get Together’, is inspired by The Gathering Ireland 2013.
One of the biggest celebrations outside Dublin is in Downpatrick, County Down…
It’s where Saint Patrick is said to be buried. His grave is an important place of pilgrimage on 17 March and there’s a visitor centre that tells the story of Ireland’s patron saint.
Wild and windswept Newfoundland in Canada…
Has a provincial holiday on 17 March, which marks its historic associations with Ireland. Generations of Irish immigrants have made their mark with place names such as St. Patrick’s, Patrick’s Cove, Ireland’s Eye and Kilbride.
Montreal …
Is home to one of the longest-running parades in North America. It goes back to 1824. No surprise there, the flag of Montreal has a shamrock, representing the Irish, in the bottom right corner. Along with the English, French and Scottish, the Irish were one of the founding groups of the city in the 19th century.
The Shamrock Shake is McDonald’s contribution …
To the feast of St. Patrick. The much-loved creation is 530 calories of minty-flavoured nectar topped off with whipped cream and a juicy red cherry. Like leprechauns, Aran jumpers and corned beef and cabbage it only comes out at this time of year. It’s on sale at McDonald’s in the US and Ireland until 25 March. There’s even a website devoted to Shamrock Shake sightings.
(Featured image: Rodolphe Breard)
