St. Patricks Day

connundrum

22/23 days to go till we all celebrate how green we are, are you pissed off at the commerciality of the whole situation? I'm kinda fearful cos of how dangerous everywhere becomes during the day.

I remember working behind the bar on Paddys day 2002 and by 5.30 the place was destroyed. We were throwing people out left right and centre and ended up having to actually lock the front doors for 2 hours. People just seem to go fcukin nuts. Dublin city centre is probably the worst place to walk through (apart from Junior Cert results night).

Do we think this year is gonna be any better or worse?

Dustbowl

It will be worse this year because it is on a Friday so they will have the whiole weekend to drink.

But walking through the city centre on St. Patricks day is always good for a laugh (seeing shell shocked tourists wandered around) plus the same drunk who always seems to be on Talbot Street shouting at the top of his voice.

Femelade

we usually just go into the local town, everyone from my village go there and we are all usually in the same pub, its like we are on tour.

then we all head back to our own local that nite where there is usually a good band playing. its good crack usually.

although i havent done the whole drinking during the day thing anymore, i have a daughter that needs to be taken to the parade, so i usually just meet everyone in the local that nite, there's never been much trouble.

robinph

I'll be out of the country for it again this year where the locals are probably not too sure exactly where Ireland is, no I don't mean the US.

irlrobins

Hope to go to croke park for club finals. Then a bit of drinking after. But yea it's terrible the state some people get into. Best to avoid temple bar in my opinion.

Bluetonic

Not related to your theme on drink, more on you over all theme but today at lunchime the Ha'penny Bridge will be apparently covered in grass to mark St Patricks day festival launch.

I kid you not.

AngryBadger

There's a very slight chance I may be in the Dublin parade

Have never been privy to the celebrations around Dublin before this, it alwsy seems to get a bit crazy, Odds on I'll have a few drinks in the city and then head to someones abode for 6's and 7's, or if things are acceptable in the city center I may stick around.

But yeah, it always gets crazy, in Waterford I think about two years ago a pub in the city was absolutely trashed by drunken idiots.

connundrum

Bluetonic wrote:

Not related to your theme on drink, more on you over all theme but today at lunchime the Ha'penny Bridge will be apparently covered in grass to mark St Patricks day festival launch.

I kid you not.

Eh... well I'm flabbergasted (spelling?!) Check out the official website ~www.stpatricksday.ie~ it bangs of cheese :rolleyes:

LegacyUser

St Patricks day is nuts. Last Paddys day I was working for LiveIreland all day, and was having a great time in the blissful merriment of the studio, anyhow, left the station at about 8pm, and got the bus into town and I was met by total carnage.
Seriously!
O Connell Street was in bits, it was filthy,covered in vomit, broken glass and rubbish.
Its goes without saying that there was drunk people everywhere, but not your average drunks, falling down drunks! At 8.30 in the evning I witness people fighting with each other, and with total strangers, and I even, honest to god, witnessed two drunken teenage couples having sex in one of the alley ways beside the Savoy Cinema! AT 8.30 IN THE EVENING!! :eek:
IT WAS STILL BRIGHT OUT FOR GOD SAKE!
I met up with my friends who was disgracefully drunk, one of them was crying as she had lost her phone, another of them was fighting with her boyfriend, and basically, the world had lost all order!
I am a big fan of a few drinks on Saint Patricks day but in moderation, there is no way its a good thing to wind up falling over, fighting or crying because you have drank too much!

xzanti

Is the Skyfest on again this year?.. that was the biggest load of sh*te Iv ever seen in my life... We were stood among the crowd at the Ha'Penny Bridge expecting the sky to light up and all we could see were a few sparkles off in the distance... We lost our seats in the pub to go out and see that

As for the parade, Iv never ventured in for the actual event but usually go in to Temple Bar for the aftermath... Last year was good craic, went into Bobs for a few and then on to Buskers... Good atmosphere, might even make a night of it this year seeing as its on a Friday

mise_me_fein_V2

I never seem to have a problem myself.

The main reason you get all these problems is because people who can't handle drinking all day, are suddenly in the situation where they are drinking all day.

Has it always been like this or is it only since the Celtic Tiger.

When I was young I don't remember the drinking being such an event.

The parade was the main thing during the day.

Anyway, it's gonna get worse and worse.
Still, if you're in Ireland for Paddy's Day - you may as well drink.
My plan is too get a big feed before I go drinking.
Go home for a while have some tea and go back out for the night.

I'll only be drinking pints of Guinness all day coz the shorts would
drive ya mad drinking the whole day.

Mossy Monk

i am working Paddy's Day. yay :mad: havent been able to go out for it for 2 years now

justsomebloke

last year i was in sydney for paddy's day and it was the best thing ever. The weekend before paddy's day they had a parade through the city finishing at a park in the centre of sydney and i have to say i have never seen so many different irish sporting tops in one place before. They had a stage there and people where just bringing in trays of beer it was great craic and to finish it off htey had a U2 tribute band that went down a treat

marsdelight

sister lives in sydney mate. says it a blast.
i always wanted to go to n.y. or boston for paddy day myself.

Mossy Monk

i always find it amazing how other countries do St. Patricks Day better than Ireland

connundrum

Mossy Monk wrote:

i always find it amazing how other countries do St. Patricks Day better than Ireland

Paddys day in South Africa was cool, a real family day out kinda affair.. barbeque, bands, drink marquees etc. Maybe Paddys day would be better here if the weather was nicer, but overseas it seems to be a celebration of the day - whereas here it seems to be a celebration of how much drink you can fit in ya without spilling :rolleyes:

December Son

Mossy Monk wrote:

i always find it amazing how other countries do St. Patricks Day better than Ireland

This is true. Ireland, at least Dublin in particular, is the LAST place id want to be on paddys day. Its seriously crazy, ive given up going to town. I can remember paddys day 97 or 98 was when it first struck me jsut how bad things were, i was only 17 or 18, walking down o connell st at around 4 o clock in the afternoon, and the place was in BITS. Drunks everywhere, pissing, puking, fighting, f*cking. I swore to never got to town on paddys day again after that.

whiskeyman

Mossy Monk wrote:

i always find it amazing how other countries do St. Patricks Day better than Ireland

Too true.
St Paddys day in Dublin is nothing special, just another big excuse to get even more wasted than ever and some of the carry on is disgraceful, as December son mentioned.
London have their celebrations on the Sunday before and I was there last year - one of he best days of my life!
Parade, festival and live concert in Trafalger Sq (Saw Doctors, Mundy, Paddy Casey, The Dubliners among others last year!) played and they served beer out in the open! Not a chance of that being done here...
The water in the fountains was dyed green and every so often someone in a tri-colour would jump in!
The craic in the Irish bars that night was simply brilliant.
http://www.london.gov.uk/stpatricksday/
This year looks set to be the same, with the Hot House Flowers, Altan, The Chalets and Gemma Hayes playing the free concert.
I probably wont even bother gonig out on the Friday, as I'll have had a much better Paddys weekend in London

Cosine

I'm from limerick and our parades are always fairly crap but what can you do. Never out around town in the evening though I usually go back to the local where its fairly relaxed.

Eminem

I normally go away for paddys weekend to galway have a laugh up there its great fun:D

Terry

Has it always been like this or is it only since the Celtic Tiger.

yes. well as far back as i can remember anyway. i remember some of my older friends getting a severe kicking in stephens green about 15 or 16 years ago. one of them was stabbed. there was also an incident on O'Connell street during the parade about 13 or 14 years ago. on of my friends disappeared and came back to us witrh blood running down his face.
the large crowds give the scumbags anonimity. they can easily get away with jumping people because there are so many people around. most of the onlookers have children with them and they can't really leave the kids alone to break up any fights.

i know it goes without saying, but watch your pockets too. i remember walking down wicklow street back in the early/ mid 90's and seeing a large crowd ahead. turns out that east 17 were in tower records and hundreds of young girls had gathered outside. me and my friends walked up to see what was going on and were met at the edge of the crowd by three scumbags who asked us if we were going "dipping". easy pickings for them.

The_Minister

Saw one lady get absolutly pissed and falling over in stephens green while her child watched(around 5 years old)

Nightwish

last year in Kilkenny there was a republican float with ridiculous slogans across it and later that night a group of guys got the british flag off it and ran up the main street with it on fire. He was subsequently attacked by some English guys in town, who were themselves attacked by more Irish guys.

Mossy Monk

Nightwish wrote:

He was subsequently attacked by some English guys in town, who were themselves attacked by more Irish guys.

a viscious unending circle

Archeron

I once was on a free open top bus tour from O Connell st to Phoenix park (free to celebrate Paddies day) and some drunk scumbag actually fell off the top deck of the bus onto the road below. He was farting around with his mates, pretending to fall. then he did. That was funny. Luckily he didnt land on a car, just the tarmac. Even then, from the top of the bus, all you could see was wave after wave of psised scumbags roaming all over town with bottles and cans. I'd never go near Dublin on that day again. 4 hours of watching large wobbly americans clad in luminous green skintight trousers wave at the people who for some reason are lining the roads to see this sh*te, followed by an evening of knife fights and vomit clad muggings. no thanks.

Enii

I always make an effort and wear a green top and something green in my hair. Just wondering does veryone else?

bounty_hunter

I try to steer clear of my local town (Dundalk) if it all possible on the day itself. The year before last I made the mistake of heading into town to meet friends, and in the two minutes between stepping out of the pub and into a taxi I had witnessed two street fights, a stabbing and a row of flaming bins all up the main street.

Repli

Bunch of whingers! Just enjoy the day! I'm gonna head into town with my gf, watch the parade, get blind drunk, go clubbing..

I always make an effort and wear a green top and something green in my hair. Just wondering does veryone else?

Yes

Betty Swollocks

Repli wrote:

Bunch of whingers! Just enjoy the day! I'm gonna head into town with my gf, watch the parade, get blind drunk, go clubbing..


Yes

Here here, thats whats its for one day of mayhem.........

Ruu_Old

count yourself lucky you arent in the states with all the tacky ****e they are selling, "luck o' the irish" t-shirts and lots of plastic paddys around, dont think i'll be able to survive the day without belting someone

xzanti

Repli wrote:

Bunch of whingers! Just enjoy the day! I'm gonna head into town with my gf, watch the parade, get blind drunk, go clubbing..


Here here... Roll on March 17th... Iv my shamrock zogabongs ready to go

Dyr

"Ladies and gentlemen, what you are seeing is a total disregard for the things St. Patrick's Day stand for. All this drinking, violence, destruction of property. Are these the things we think of when we think of the Irish?"

:v: <Damn you kent brockman!!

Rb

I stay well out of the city on paddys day. As has been said; its absolute mahem.
Every single scumbag in Dublin crawls out from under their rock and hits the streets off their face. Lots of celtic jerseys and "Eire32" tattoos to be seen everywhere, the true patriots

Theres so much trouble its just not worth it, going into town is putting yourself at an unneccessary risk.

I feel sorry for the tourists and families who go into town to watch the parade and have to face that scum.

Attol

I always dress up. I looked like such a freak doing it in England. I know there's a parade and everything but I was dressed in green white and orange going to college and got a few funny looks off people.

For this year I have green uggs, a white jersey skirt, a Paul Frank leprechaun tshirt that I bought in Finland and an orange hoodie. Nails will be green, white and orange of course. I can't remember the last time I didn't dress up for Paddy's day. I know the drunks suck but if you see your friends and hang out it can be a laugh. Although people do get really wasted. I remember walkin up along Nassau street after getting off the bus and I was holding my boyfriends hand and these random girls ask "will u meet horr". So many people with blood dripping down them too. I remember they had to close the park really early. It is pretty appalling how bad it gets in town.

Rb

LadyLotts wrote:

....got a few funny looks off people.

You don't say...

LadyLotts wrote:

For this year I have green uggs, a white jersey skirt, a Paul Frank leprechaun tshirt that I bought in Finland and an orange hoodie. Nails will be green, white and orange of course.

:eek:

LadyLotts wrote:

It is pretty appalling how bad it gets in town.

It really is, maybe the gardai will be as liberal with their batons on the scumbags this year as they were to those hippys back at the Reclaim The Streets "Street Party".
Lets hope.

dundalk cailin

ill be in france for Paddys day..wonder how they celebrate it ..have no college on fridays so hopefully there'll be something on round the town! oh yea my exams start the monday after damn...:(