For most Irish people, and people in Ireland, on the 17th of March, a typical St Patrick's day usually includes some viewing on TV or in person of a parade.
While almost every town and city in the country will have their own parade, the St. Patrick's day festival, including the biggest parade, takes place in Dublin.
In recent years it's become a 3-day multi-venue music, arts, and culture festival. When I was young (and Ireland was poor) there was more security surrounding the parade than participants in it. It was a dour affair, especially as a 7 year old standing hip-height in a crowd.
I was very jealous of American events featured on the news that evening, which included rivers dyed green and celebrations that seemed like they were from another planet.
Of course on St. Patrick's Day, we toast to Irishness and Ireland. That increasingly means the face of a changing Ireland. The parade this year, as it has for many years, will proudly include representation from Brazilian, Georgian, Moldovan, Lithuanian, and many other communities in Ireland.
This image is of St Patrick's day 2019 and 2020. Guess which is which, A typical Paddy's day for me includes having lunch with family and then having exactly the right amount of pints and no more, with friends, and new friends I have met on that day. If it's on a Saturday there will likely be a rugby game, making it a special day indeed.
That is what made 2020, 2021, and 2022 (when I caught Covid, preventing a trip home) so strange. Paddy's day is a day of revelry, a day where you laugh a little loud and a little too easily. I'm glad to be able to celebrate it fully this year.
*Please note the spelling "Paddy's", not "Patty's".
Traditions
There are many traditions on Paddy's day. A favorite of mine is meeting tourists and playfully making things up to see what we can have them believe.
A tradition of our diplomatic corps is to visit the US. The Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) visits The White House where they present the US President with a bowl of Shamrock. The president then races to eat the entire bowl and wash it down with a Guinness. The record is held by Bill Clinton. Slick Willy downed half a pound of Sharnrock, and a Guinn, in 3 rninutes 22 seconds, srnashing Ronald Reagan's record in the process.
On 17th March, feel free to greet me, or any other Irish person, with "Lá Fhéile Pàdraig Sona Duit"
