St. Patrick's Day

I'm very involved with the local music scene and every year we all get together to make a Grand Night of St. Paddy's on the 17th but no one seems very interested in celebrating 23rd April. We've had a couple of music nights for the 23rd, but they've turned out very sombre compared to the 17th March event. I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow night - I'm not Irish but was married to an Irish musician for many years

Seems to be a(nother) excuse for a mega piss up around the world, even for people with no Irish connections. Green beer in Boston etc.
WE always used to have the afternoon off on St David's day (the only time in the year that happened - very exciting) . The better off kids had welsh costumes that they wore on this one day of the year. The rest of us wore daffodils. There was a concert (in primary) and an eisteddfod (in secondary).

Am in New Orleans at present and everywhere you look people are dressed in green and, yes, the beer is green too. I've never seen anything like it and I'm used to celebrations for saints days having lived in Malta for over thirty years. Every village has a patron saint so there is always a festa going on during the warmer months. Seems more of an excuse to get drunk than anything religious.

Yes it is now an excuse for a party mainly among young(ish) people as far as I can tell.

As an Irish person in Scotland I was never in Ireland for st Patricks day as it wasn't a holiday here but my grandmother used to send us a little box of shamrock every year. A little bit of home, she called it (and she really wasn't a sentimental woman!).

I'm from an Irish family. Both parents were from Southern Ireland. I went to a strict Catholic school and St Patrick's Day was always a big day for us. Relatives in Ireland used to send shamrock over for us. I don't really celebrate it these days. Here in Birmingham they have a really big St Patrick's Day parade (said to be the biggest anywhere apart from New York). It's pretty impressive but the streets get so packed it puts me off a bit. It's quite spectacular though. It's happening today so they've got a great day for it in the sunshine.

Just spent a tough train journey standing, packed into an inadequately sized train. Some very loud women on the lam were also travelling. Cracking open the pink fizz as we rattled along. One of them had a voice that could dislodge an ice shelf and set it adrift. "I'm a gran I am. My daughter is 19 and she's ma baby. I luv er to bits but she's a pain in the arse and she's got fooking dire taste in men" .
I am not sure whether St Patrick was to blame or not.

Not St. Patrick's Day until tomorrow, so you can't blame him, Jess.
My grandson's birthday tomorrow, so we're taking him to the Life Museum, for his education.

Here in Italy there are plenty of Saints Days, especially in the summer months! On Friday it's St. Benedetto patron saint of Cassino(where we live) and Europe. I expect there will be the inevitable fireworks! (or mini explosions)!!!

durhamjen they were on their way to get the ferry to Dublin to celebrate in his name. St Patrick definitely wholly to blame.