St Patrick’s Day celebrations in the East Midlands
Patron saints are not uncommon: every country, occupation and even ailment has a proverbial heavenly advocate. But while most people would struggle to tell you the patron saint of their own country, they have no trouble naming Ireland’s beloved figure. St Patrick, and the secular merriment that has grown to mark his eponymous day have become as internationally renowned and celebrated as Christmas and Easter.
According to Irish folklore, Patrick, an English bishop, came to live in Ireland during the fourth century. He is said to have used the shamrock, the three-leaved plant long associated with the Emerald Isle, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan locals. The Irish celebrated St Patrick’s feast day as early as the ninth and 10th centuries, although it was not placed on the universal liturgical calendar in the Catholic Church until the early 1600s. Some 300 years later, in 1903, St Patrick’s Day became a public holiday in Ireland.
With such widespread Irish diaspora around the world, the celebrations quickly became an international event marked by wearing green and drinking Guinness to the heart’s content. Chicago, in the United States of America, even dyes its river green in honour of the big day, while Canada’s most eastern province, Newfoundland and Labrador, has such a strong Irish connection that a public holiday was declared. In fact, these days you’ll struggle to find a bar or pub anywhere in the world without St Patrick’s Day festivities, as even those with no links to the Ireland whatsoever have embraced the day that has come to symbolise inebriated, good-hearted fun.
St Patrick’s Day in Manchester
You’d think Manchester was in Ireland judging by the celebrations the city has planned this year. The 16th annual Manchester Irish Festival, one of Europe’s biggest Irish celebrations, runs from the 4–20 March and features over 200 events staged at 56 venues throughout Greater Manchester.
The highlight of the two-week festival, which 200,000 people are expected to attend, will be the parade on Sunday 13 March, preceded by a Gaelic mass at the Irish World Heritage Centre, where the parade starts and ends. The great Irish folk band The Dubliners will be at the Lowry, while ceili dancing at the Town Hall will be sure to get your feet tapping.
Other musical highlights include gigs by The Script, Westlife and Shayne Ward. For more information, visit the festival’s website.
St Patrick’s Day in London
Head to London at noon on Sunday 13 March for a spectacular parade of marching bands, floats, costumed characters, stilt walkers and street theatre from Ireland and across the UK. The parade begins at Piccadilly at noon, and moves off along Piccadilly, Lower Regent Street, Pall Mall East, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall before dispersing on Whitehall Place. Trafalgar Square will also host a main stage showcasing the best of traditional and contemporary Irish music and dance from 11.30am to 6pm.
This free family day out is a great way to experience all things Irish.
Click here for more information about the London Mayor’s St Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival.
For an Irish tipple later on, head to London’s best Irish pub: Waxy O’Connor’s on Rupert Street in Leicester Square. This cavernous bar is rather similar to a church, with pulpits, rustic wooden seats and hidden nooks and crannies. Live music, traditional food, competitions and giveaways will be on the bill on Thursday 17 March.
St Patrick’s Day in Nottingham
Nottingham will go green on Thursday 17 March with its 12th annual St Patrick’s Day Parade, making its way from the Forest Recreation Ground to Market Square. The square will also play host to a festive afternoon of Irish music and dancing, as well as an “Irish Shop” where you can buy all the shamrocks, badges and hats that you’ll need to celebrate the night away.
Other events taking place include The Dubliners playing at the Theatre Royal on 15 March and music from Roisin Murphy on 19 March at the Irish Centre. For full details of the events, visit the parade’s website.
