How to take your St Patrick's Day celebrations in Ireland to the next level
St Patrick’s Day has been celebrated for a thousand years, commemorating the special day that St Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland! Though, more than that, St Patrick’s Day celebrates the beauty of Irish heritage and culture.
There are many rich, age-old traditions for St Patrick’s Day that can still be celebrated today; parades, ceilidh dance and the wearing of shamrocks or the colour green. Indeed, St Patrick’s Day isn’t only about drinking Guinness and partying the night away!
Even so, there are many ways – new and old - to take your St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Ireland to the next level. Read about them, below.
Know the right places to go
There are so many pubs across Ireland that make a great spot for celebrating St Patrick’s Day. But the quirkiest ones, with the best Irish folk music, tend to be the hot places to be!
South Pole Inn in County Kerry is especially interesting, founded by the legendary Irish Antarctic explorer Tom Crean, and has a striking blue and orange colour scheme to match. Charlie’s Bar in Cork is also fun-filled, and known for their amazing fiddlers and flute players.
Don’t forget to wear green
Taking your St Patrick’s Day celebrations to the next level can be as simple as wearing a green shirt, socks or a hat! Wearing green shows your willingness to celebrate St Patrick’s Day fully, and also your appreciation of Irish culture.
Give a traditional Irish meal a try
Corned beef and cabbage might be the first Irish meal you can think of, but there’s so many more to try on St Patrick’s Day. Colcannon is a delicious potato dish, packed with butter and scallions. We’d also recommend a hearty Irish stew with mutton or beef, and to treat yourself to dessert, Irish apple cakes with their traditional, festive spices are the best option.
Attend a parade
Celebrate St Patrick’s Day in style by attending one of Ireland’s many boisterous, enjoyable parades. Wherever you choose to stay in Ireland, there’s sure to be a wonderful local parade nearby. You’ll find children riding through the streets on bikes decorated with streamers, the Irish flag waved far and wide, and four-leaf clovers in abundance!
Learn the Irish stepdance
The many dancing traditions of Ireland are famous, and Irish stepdance might be the most famous one of all! It is characterised by swift movements of the feet, and the stiff upper body of the dancers. Why not give learning Irish stepdance a try on St Patrick’s Day? There are several tutorials online, and even more class’s in-person for you to try.
Travel to Ireland in luxury
Travel to Ireland in luxury and get your St Patrick’s Day celebrations off to a great start, by holidaying with P&O cruises. With cruises around Northern Europe and the British Isles at a range of accessible prices, there’s no time to waste. Book with P&O Cruises, today.