Top o’ the mornin’ to you, boys and girls!!!As you all probably know 17th March marks the annual Saint Patrick’s Day – a day where Irish culture is embraced and celebrated the world over. For me it’s a day (or few days) where drinking is acceptable as the pub becomes my home along with hundreds more people getting in on the Irish spirit.
Bars and clubs across the country will play host to the festive day, with Irish music, dancing, funny hats, green clothing and shamrocks being the norm for those wanting to get involved. My hometown of Manchester is notorious for its love of Saint Patrick’s Day – possibly because of the vast amount of students who love an excuse to hit the pub – it hosts a two-week festival that encompasses a parade as well as Irish markets to bring people together and learn more about the Irish Culture. The festival will run until Sunday 21st so you have ample time to immerse yourself in the Irish spirit. So for many (like me) it will be an excuse to drink guiness and paint the town green whilst putting on a dodgy Irish accent!
Here are a few facts about the big day:-
Blue was the colour first associated with Saint Patrick, not green.
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Believe it or not, but the popularisation of St. Paddy’s Day did not start in Ireland, it was America that held the first celebrations with Irish immgrants throwing huge parties in the likes of New York, Boston and Chicago. Ireland treated it as a minor religious event up until 1970.
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The traditional meal to eat on the day is cabbage and corned beef.
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An astonishing 13 million pints of Guinness will be consumed today!
And for those of you looking for some Irish music, look no further than Andrea Corr who has gone solo following the end of everyones favourite family folk band ‘The Corrs’. She will be playing 3 dates between May and June in Birmingham, Salford and London.If you can’t wait that long then The Script will be touring all this month, with a few tickets left for their London gigs at Wembley Arena and The o2 Arena. But don’t worry if you miss out, they will be back again in July at the Brighton Centre.
And the last of our Irish groups playing soon are the Irish Supergroup The Saw Doctors at the o2 Academy Islington 23rd April. The ba
nd will be playing a one-off gig following their triumphant 2010 tour.
nd will be playing a one-off gig following their triumphant 2010 tour.
So don your best green and gold clothes and get down to a gig, the pub or a street party for your own taste of the Irish.
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!