How to Spend St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland
St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on the 17th of March, is a festive event marked by parades, good luck charms, and, of course, greenery. Although it began as a religious festival, it has evolved into a celebration of Irish culture. In other words, it’s evolved into the most important cultural holiday in Ireland.
Even if you have no ties to this Emerald Isle, you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a bang regardless of your ethnicity. It’s a festival that’s open to various kinds of celebrations, from the traditional to the more experimental. However, in order to have fun, your celebration does not have to be extravagant.
Of course, it’s possible to have a massive St. Patrick’s Day feast, complete with green food, Irish folk music, and Irish-themed activities, but it’s also possible to celebrate the holiday in a more low-key manner. It’s all up to your preference. To get an idea of the things you can do on this particular day, we’ve compiled a list of ways you can spend St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland that everyone can enjoy.
1. Put On Your Best Green Outfits
Put on your best green, white, and gold outfits and take a picture of the whole family. Don’t forget to wear the Leprechaun hats! Even if you aren’t planning on taking photos or leaving your house, you can still wear green to add some fun to your regular activities.
2. Decorate Your House in Green
Let your creativity loose and play around with green-coloured decorations. You’ll have a great time hanging shamrocks and beads on every surface, whether inside or out. You and your family can decorate the home with leprechauns and clovers, among other fun crafts.
Even if you’re simply planning on having adults around for a day of fun, you can still prepare and decorate your house with crafts appropriate for the occasion in order to fully immerse yourself in the festivities.
3. Prepare Tasty Festive Desserts
To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, you can bake some green treats, such as cookies in the form of a four-leaf clover that are then decorated with green frosting or some pistachio macarons that you can enjoy with your family or friends.
What a delicious way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and satisfy your sweet tooth.
4. Enjoy a Shamrock Shake
Enjoy your time sipping a Shamrock shake, and it won’t take long for these minty, refreshing shakes to disappear. You can add maraschino cherries and mint sprigs to your shakes before serving. Adding a few drops of green food colour to the whipped cream will make it even more festive!
5. Bake Soda Bread
This traditional soda bread is extremely popular among the Irish people. Soda bread’s name comes from the fact that baking soda is used instead of yeast. Typically, pastry or cake flour is combined with buttermilk, yoghurt, or stout to create this bread.
6. Sip Some Green Beer
Get in the mood with a glass of your favourite Irish brew or a green beer to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style.
7. Pour Yourself a Pint of Guinness
Having a pint of Guinness is a St. Patrick’s Day tradition that is not to be missed. Even if you’re celebrating at home, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a pint of it at your local supermarket or liquor shop. Guinness is also available in a non-alcoholic form for those of you who do not want to drink alcohol.
8. Celebrate Mass
In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is more than just a day to wear green and drink Guinness; it’s a religious event commemorating the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. So, it’s also important to attend a mass service on this day to honour the saint who brought Christianity to the country.
9. Donate To a Green Cause
To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day more meaningfully, you can make a donation to a green cause. So, to keep up with the green theme, you can spare some money and donate it to an environmental charity.
10. Learn The Irish Step Dancing Style
A fun way to connect with Irish culture and learn some traditional Irish dances will be through step dancing. The Irish step dance is a popular performance dance style from Ireland that has its origins in traditional Irish dancing. It may be performed either alone or in a group. There is a greater focus on tight, straight lines of movement in step dancing than in tap dancing.
11. Listen To Some Traditional Irish Music
Aside from its fascinating performance dance, Ireland is also well-known for its traditional Irish music. If there are any musical performances near you, don’t miss the chance to listen to Irish folk music, as it is another fantastic way to spend St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. Traditionally, Irish music, also known as Celtic music, is filled with harmonic fiddles, harps, whistles, and the traditional Irish drum, the bodhran, which can be heard throughout the performance.
12. Attend a St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Attending a fun and colourful St. Patrick’s Day parade can immediately put you in the mood for the celebration. Spend the day at a St. Patrick’s Day parade watching Irish dancers, leprechauns, and bagpipers perform.
If there aren’t any parades in person, you may still have fun by watching a virtual St. Patrick’s Day parade.
13. Recite an Irish Blessing Aloud
When it comes to attracting good fortune, nothing beats reciting an Irish blessing aloud. Many blessings and prayers have been made by the people of Ireland because of their strong Christian origins. Regardless of your religious or ethnic background, these blessings may still have a positive impact on those who hear them and give you a positive feeling as you recite them.
14. Participate In a St. Patrick’s Day Fun Run
Along with all of the other activities, St. Patrick’s Day is also an excellent time to go for a run since the temperature is pleasant rather than freezing or scorching. Participating in a race before the big day is a great way to raise money for a good cause while also having fun with your friends.
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