Metro Éireann interns Jost Blasberg, Brendan O’Shea and Madeline Rosenberger shared their experiences of their first St Patrick’s Day in the Irish capital.
Some 250,000 people - locals and visitors alike - braved the cold, wind and rain to gather in the streets of Dublin for the annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations...
Jost Blasberg from Germany
To actually be in Dublin on St Patrick’s Day as a foreigner was quite an experience. Un-fortunately – and like every year, I heard – the weather was really unforgiving. In the mor-ning it was even snowing for some time, and the cold wind and rain took some of the fun out of it all afternoon long.
But the parade was something I had never seen before, and visiting a few pubs in the evening showed me that nothing - not even the most awful weather – can bring the Irish down, especially not on St Patrick’s Day.
Brendan O’Shea from New Jersey, USA
My first St Patrick’s Day in Ireland was certainly one to remember. I began the day enjoying the parade from near the Spire on O’Connell Street; it’s something I’ve been looking forward to for years.
A group of fellow students and I then visited Croke Park to enjoy the senior club finals in hurling and Gaelic football, But we left halfway through the football due to the rainy weather.
Later I joined a few friends to finish the evening at The Brazen Head pub on Lower Bridge Street, to partake in the traditional consumption of Guinness.
Madeline Rosenberger from California, USA
St Patrick’s Day was filled with drinking and celebrating with the Irish natives, and of course the tourists. Pubs in Dublin city centre were packed with people young and old, trying to get as drunk as humanly possible.
Standing at the railings, watching the People’s Parade go by, I couldn’t help but laugh at the dozens of men and children dressed like their patron saint. The streets were flooded with them, along with guys wearing tutus, girls in green tights and everybody with a shamrock painted on their face.
We finished the day roaming around a few bars, drinking whiskey and Guinness and singing good aul’ ‘Molly Malone’. Although tourists seemed to overtake the city, drinking beer in a small Irish pub was truly the best way to celebrate my traditional Irish St Paddy’s Day.
