Tourism Ireland Welcomes The World for St Patricks Day

by Shrutee K/DNS 

28^th February: St Patrick’s Day is a worldwide celebration of Irishness, but the best place to salute the saint is still in Ireland. The invitations are out and Ireland is ready to welcome the world to its biggest annual celebration — St Patrick’s Day.

In fact, it’s so big it lasts for several days and encompasses parades, music, theatre, art, comedy, talks, walks and cultural events across the length and breadth of the island. Dublin is the key destination for Paddy’s party and with a festival running from 15 – 19 March it features the island’s biggest and boldest St Patrick’s Day parade.

This legendary spectacle, with its thousands of performers and bands from around the world, interspersed with amazing floats, will wind its way across the historic city on 17 March, Ireland’s national holiday.

This year the festival theme is ‘Home’ and it will be celebrated through a programme that includes a unique film commission project, street theatre, talks, walks, spoken word, literature, music, Irish language, visual art and much more. Of course, cities, towns and villages up and down the country will honour the patron saint with equal fervour. There will be big street parades in all main cities and towns, including Cork, Limerick, Galway, Derry~Londonderry and Waterford.

In Belfast, Féile an Earraigh will run from 12 – 18 March and feature a wide variety of arts and cultural events. The city will be animated with traditional music sessions, Irish dancing, concerts, tours and walks, debates and discussions, dramas, exhibitions and literary events, plus youth and sporting events and family activities. In Armagh, where Patrick began his Christian mission, the Home of Saint Patrick Festival gets underway on 8 March and runs for 10 days showcasing a multi-faceted programme of cultural, musical and spiritual events.

Among the highlights in Armagh will be a unique evening of music and spoken word set in the magnificent St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral and featuring choirs from all over the island of Ireland and further afield. Irish tenor Peter Corry will present Call of the Celts – music from Ireland and Scotland – and there is a concert by globally renowned Portuguese Fado singer Carminho.

A Sunrise with St Patrick event takes place at Armagh’s historic Navan Fort and celebrates the first light of St Patrick’s morning, while Starry, Starry Night explores the night sky as it was during Patrick’s time. With exhibitions, guided walks, lectures, parades and church services, the Home of Saint Patrick Festival gets to the heart of St Patrick’s influence on the island.

Tourism Ireland is the organization responsible for promoting the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination. Tourism is the island of Ireland’s largest indigenous industry; responsible for in excess of 4% of GNP in the Republic of Ireland and employing approximately 220,000 people. Tourism Ireland’s international website is www.ireland.com, 29 market sites available in ten language versions around the world, which attracted over 19 million visitors in 2016.