St. Patrick's Day 2009

To be sure, to be sure, to be sure, March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day and a week-long celebration takes place for this national holiday.  St. Patrick’s Day has come to be representative of everything Irish – from the colour green, the shamrock, three-leafed old white clover, leprechauns , the Irish harp, the Celtic Cross and not to forget Guinness.

The Festival kicks off in Dublin from March 12th with parties, parades and lots of shows and entertainment in the evenings.  Although Dublin is the centre stage for the official events, elsewhere around the country, in every town and village there are just as many wild and colourful events and festivities for this big day!

‘The Sky is the Limit’ is the theme for the 2009 parade.  Starting at 12:00 noon from Parnell Square North, the Parade weaves through the city centre and ends at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  For over two hours you will be entertained by spectacular displays of creative talent such as the Irish street theatre companies, Irish music, ceremonial groups and international marching bands who will be creating an exciting carnival atmosphere.

The Irish are fun-loving people, have a great sense of humour and always out for some good cheer.  In the current economic environment when purse strings are getting tighter, Festival organizers promise to fill this six-day extravaganza with heaps of FREE FUN for all!  No one knows how to have a great time better than the Irish and I’m sure there will be plenty of Guinness flowing as well.

By the way, Dublin has about 850 pubs, many of them with a great history behind them.  So, if you’re visiting the Emerald Isles and fancy some ‘craic, ceol agus ól’ or fun, music and drink, you could try an Irish Pub Crawl. It would be an smashing experience – to be sure!

Helen