Whoever said Dublin isn’t the best place to celebrate St.Patrick’s Day certainly wasn’t doing it right.
There are some festivals and celebrations you should go to at least once in your life; Oktoberfest in Munich, Carnival in Rio, Hogmanay in Edinburgh, La Tomatina in Spain, Burning Man in Nevada…
…and St.Patrick’s Day in Ireland.
St.Patrick’s Day is probably the most widely celebrated Saint’s Day in the World, and no matter where you are on March 17th, you’ll be able to find some sort of party or celebration. What other country could have the whole world celebrate its culture? Only the Irish!
But I have to say, there’s nothing like celebrating St.Patrick’s Day in Dublin, especially when you can find cheap dublin airfares online.
St.Paddy’s Day celebrates Saint Patrick and the introduction of Christianity into Ireland, but it has also become a celebration of all things Irish- shamrocks, Guinness, leprechauns, Irish music and most importantly…the pub.
It’s a day that brings people of all nationalities together to drink and be merry. No matter where you’re from, on St.Patrick’s Day you get to be Irish, if only for a little while.
On this special day in March, the whole of Dublin is covered in a sea of Emerald green. Everywhere you look, people are dressed in Irish flags, funny hats and green T-shirts.
The central focus in Dublin is the parade, and this year 50,000 people turned up to watch as bands, dancers and performers paraded from Parnell Square, along O’Connell Street, past Trinity College and onwards to St Patrick’s Cathedral.
We missed the Parade because we were at the Guinness Storehouse, but we did get to see the aftermath.
Walking down O’Connell Street, the roads had been opened up again, and people were walking where traffic would usually flow. There were tourists having group photos, and thousands of people in green stumbling towards the nearest pub.
EVERY pub in Dublin is absolutely jam-packed to the brim with people, so it doesn’t really matter where you go so long as you have a pint in your hand. We went to The Celt and O’Shea’s, followed by The Arlington hotel for Paddywagon’s private St.Paddy’s Day party.
Temple Bar, Dublin’s touristy bar area, was absolute MAYHEM on St.Paddy’s Day, but if you’ve had a few drinks and you don’t mind fighting your way through the busiest street in Dublin, then it’s worth going there for a completely FULL-ON experience.
Tips for Celebrating St.Patrick’s Day in Dublin
- Book your accommodation in advance– Accommodation gets booked out very quickly. The cheapest places to stay are Hostels which you can book with Hostelworld. Remember- prices go up around St.Paddy’s Day.
- Book a St.Patrick’s Day tour– If you’re traveling by yourself, look into doing a special St.Patrick’s day tour from London or Dublin. Paddywagon Tours offer a selection of St.Paddy’s Day tours which takes the stress out of organising transport and accommodation.
- Get up early in the morning– the parade starts at 12pm, but you’ll need to be there early to get a good spot on the route.
- Don’t come in by car– If you have a car, avoid driving into the city as many of the roads will be closed.
- Visit the Guinness Storehouse- I thought the Guinness Storehouse would be overflowing on St.Patrick’s Day, but since most people were at the parade, I had a really pleasant morning there and it had a really good atmosphere. What better place to be than the home of Guinness?
- Research pubs and bars outside Temple Bar- Temple Bar is absolutely mental on St.Patrick’s Day, so if you want to avoid it, research some other bars you’d like to visit outside of this area. If you plan ahead and find a good spot, you’ll have a really good experience.
- Bring something green- You should really get into the spirit on St.Paddy’s Day by wearing something green- everyone else will. To save buying something when you get there, if you have anything green in your wardrobe, pack it into your suitcase. You can find plenty of accessories in the €2 shops around Dublin.
- Wear comfortable shoes- You’ll be on your feet for hours watching the parade and dancing the night away, so make sure you wear some comfortable shoes. In Temple bar you’ll be stepping in all sorts of stuff, so don’t wear your best shoes!
- Don’t carry too much stuff- When there’s alcohol involved, you’re likely to lose stuff, so carry as little as possible and keep the rest back at your accommodation.
- Pace yourself- St.Patrick’s Day in Dublin is a long day, so if you want to make it out till the evening, pace yourself! It’s worth staying out at night because the bars and pubs really come alive!
