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St. Patrick’s Day is the be all end all holiday in Ireland. Honestly, when thinking of this country most people think about that green holiday. When I first decided to move to Ireland for a year I was so stoked to be able to spend Paddy’s day in Dublin. I couldn’t wait to dress up in my green garb, drink all the pints, and experience a true St. Patrick’s Day and not one just spent in my college bar. On the morning of Paddy’s day we opted to get into the city centre as early as possible since the bus system went completely whackadoo and we wanted to for sure make it in for the parade.

As soon as we got to the Christ Church Cathedral all you could see was a sea of green. On every corner there were people selling scarves, hats, tattoos, and anything you could need to have the most festive day. All along Christ Church you had tons of food trucks to get you through the day. I opted to get a crepe in order to survive most of the day. As the start of the parade started to draw nearer we decided to pick a spot to watch and luckily we were there early enough to get a decent spot. Now, I would consider myself a parade aficionado, and I can honestly say I have never seen a parade like Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. For starters it featured loads of marching bands from the states. From Mizzou to a Colorado high school band, it was lovely to have a little bit of home in Ireland. In between each band there was an interpretive art piece. Various colleges around the area came up with odd concepts of of future Ireland and the world. From people living in trees to visiting Mars, these segments had a little bit of everything. Honestly, I had no idea what was going on during these bits. The costumes and props were all unbelievable and left a lot up for interpretation. 

After the parade everyone on Dame Street started to scatter into the various pubs. Though my friends and I didn’t want to spend the whole day in the City Center (it was just too busy) we did pop into a pub for our first pints of the day. This is my advice to anyone planning on doing a St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland: get out of town. Everywhere will be overpriced and overcrowded. You will have a more fantastic experience if you pop into a local pub. After our town pints we motored on over to our friend’s local family pub called Goose Tavern. In my opinion it was the best atmosphere to spend my only St. Patrick’s Day in the country. There was live trad music going to be played and the ability to have genuine conversations with all of your friends. It was the perfect chill day. I was able to see a side of the holiday that avoided crowds. It avoided drunken messes. I appreciated being able to sit down, listening to Irish music, and had some unreal drinks. Though it is a major tourist holiday I was able to see it from a local view and for that I am thankful.

Everyone should experience St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland at least once in their lives. It is great craic and spreads good vibes all around, and honestly, who doesn’t love to sport only green all day?!