Why?
St Patrick’s day has been established by the Irish government in 1995. It sets out to reflect the talents and achievement of Irish people. It’s an opportunity for Irish people to stand proud. Most workers during this weekend are volunteers, even the board of directors. This year it will be celebrated from March 16th until March 19th.
Why green?
St Patrick’s day is known all over the world, most people recognize it especially by its green theme. Literally everything is green. You might ask yourself, why green? Well, because Saint Patrick believed you would be invisible to the Leprechaun creatures if you were wearing green. Besides, green is the Irish colour.
Your visit:
If you are planning on visiting us during Patrick’s weekend, you better start doing that early because it will be BUSY. People from all over the world visit Dublin and other parts of Ireland during this time of the year. Flight companies know and that’s why tickets will most likely be much more expensive and so are hotel rates. They will try to make you pay as much as possible and most people don’t mind since it’s a special weekend to them as well.
On the other hand, it is also possible to find accommodation during that weekend if you either start well in advance or you try to be flexible, book a flight with Ryanair for instance and stay at an Airbnb or host family. Everything is possible during St Patrick’s day.
What’s on?
Every bar turns into a special place with unique food and drink offers, hotels on harcourt street decorate their lobbies and give discounts on drinks. They work many months in advance on making it a very special day for their customers and international visitors. Public squares turn into festival spots and music is a very important factor of the weekend. Bands from all over the world will work together to make a contribution to an unforgettable day with their audiences. You’ll certainly see many Leprechauns running around. Irish theatre companies bring the streets to life with unique costumes and performances. You’ll be able to watch the famous parade from very close and enjoy the creativity of the crowd. It is an amazing day, if you like to be around many people and let yourself be impressed by all the colours and sounds.
Please note
Shops and pubs usually remain open during St Patrick’s weekend since it’s a good opportunity for them to make money. Post offices and other big companies stay closed on the other hand. Officers of the Garda, the Irish police claim that there have never been any major incidents during the parade, so nothing to worry about, whereas, you might want to leave most of your personal belongings at home.
You absolutely should bring a good mood, a smile, something green and learn the most famous song called March to Dublin, written by the award-winning Pete St John.
