Saint Patrick's Day memories...

Graces7

My first full year in Ireland I went to Mass at the round church, I think Saint Joseph, near Boyle,

I had never been to such an event!

Traditional music trio , fiddle, flute and accordion, and they rattled the rafters. The young curate seemed very happy in the Irish part of the Mass, then suddenly stopped, beamed round at us all."Not doing badly, am I?"

Such a crowded mass..

By the following year I was more settled and visiting the Drumshanbo Poor Clares every week. There were still around 12 of them then, always ready with a smile and food for a visitor.

Where I was living was overrun with shamrock, so I gathered a basket full, dropped some off at a neighbour, made up enough bunches for all the Nuns, the priest, visitors and went to early Mass. Had breakfast with them after Mass and they all wearing shamrock...

That was so for a few years and I will always remember those days.

Only once have I been out townwise o this day; a market in Bandon where they were trying for the number of leprechauns in one day

Manic drummers with orange "hair "in the procssion and i vastly preferred my earlier years! Did not even sell very much and my car got walled in by the Army

Quietly home today and glad of ir

DoozerT6

Attending the local parade which mostly consisted of tractors and trailers, with a few local people dressed up as leprechauns Irish dancing on the bed of the trailer (small town) and the local athletics club dressed up in their tracksuits walking behind a banner, maybe a local marching band, it was usually cold and often drizzling, but sure the craic was had.

Being able to break Lent for the day!!! All the kids in the town stuffing themselves with chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks in the pubs while the parents all enjoyed a few 'lemonades' themselves.

My mother always pinned a large sprig of shamrock to my coat before heading out for the day, nearly everybody had the same - nowadays it's ribbons and badges, etc.

Good times!

SEPT 23 1989

80's Dublin

ATA Security

The Rape of Lucretia

Its all about the marching for me. Every town doing its best, the mother of them all down O'Connell Street, and, the real treat, RTE's round up of them in an extended news edition.

ChikiChiki

Alcohol and lots of it. St Patricks day can fook off in my book. :-(

looksee

I was introduced to Patrick's day parades in the early 70s - I quickly became disenchanted as I realised that parades were for the most part identical to watching a traffic jam.

I and a local sports group were responsible for introducing what I think was the first walking entertainment exhibit in Kilkenny - a dragon made from agricultural gleanings - mostly hose pipe, black baling(?) plastic, a sack truck and lots of cut up colourful (unused) fertiliser sacks! Great fun!

RhubarbCrumble

It was always, ALWAYS cold and wet, and I see today is no exception.

riffmongous

We had an old biscuit tin full of badges, little harps and tricolours, that would be brought down from the top of the press each year and we'd all argue over who got to wear what, while my father would go out and get a bit of shamrock.

Then mass with just the our father in irish. And of course the extended six-one. There was never any alcohol involved in our family

PTH2009

waiting for the extended six one news with all the parades

when I turned 18, 10 years ago Alcohol took over for me on this day. Worked the last 2 years so today is back to the old days and drinking for most of the day. The big rugby game on top

jamesbere

My memories of the last 6 years is working on paddy's day. Off for it today

biko

Rows of tractors and vintage cars with homemade signs advertising shops.

branie2

Eating out on the day, as it's my mother's birthday

Lorelli!

I remember last year. I was in the countryside in England. I had asked my husband if they celebrate St. Patrick's day there and he assured me that they did. I got all dressed up. Had a green, white and orange plaited headband, face tattoos etc.

Went down to the town and there was nothing going on. Instead of looking parade ready, i looked more haughty/arrogant walking down the road :pac:

I went into a shop and the woman serving me was looking at me so I said "it's for St. Patrick's day...for the parade" and she said 'oh lovely, is there a parade?" I said "I don't know, do ya's have one here?" and she nodded and looked at me pitifully and said "no I don't think so" and then we both laughed :pac:

branie2

And of course, the day always feels like a Sunday.

TG1

I grew up in Dublin, and have vivid memories of my dad bringing a ladder in to the parade so we could all sit on a rung and get a good view... I don't think you'd get away with it these days, but we had some good seats over the years!!
These days you would have to pay me a fortune to get me near a parade!

branie2

I haven't been to a parade in years

WildWater

RhubarbCrumble wrote: »

It was always, ALWAYS cold and wet, and I see today is no exception.

1997, Galway, it was better than a summers day.

whatdoicare

I was ALWAYS sick and on nebulisers as a kid for Paddys Day, every single ****ing year it was me, sat hooked up to the nebuliser in front of the telly watching the parade on RTE in my pajamas while my Da and sisters got to go to the parade. I actually didn't mind it in the end as the one year I got to go, I had been so used to having front row to everything that spending the time staring at the back of some guys head was really crap in comparison.