Our Guinness loving girl about town, Deborah James takes a look at what's coming up on the booziest day on the calendar...
Did you know that it’s common practice to plant a potato on St. Patrick’s Day? This tradition is done to ensure a good harvest for the coming year.
Personally, we’d rather celebrate Paddy’s day in true style – Guinness in hand – so for anyone less keen on planting and more keen on partying, we’ve come up with a list of options to keep you out of the garden this weekend.
Everyone claims to have a bit of Irish in them, whether it’s a Great Grandmother who once went to Dublin or a brother-in-law owning land in Limerick. Any connection is acceptable, so don a green-t-shirt and get to the splendid St Patrick’s Day parade in London, Sunday 18 March. You’ll be swept along in a whirlwind of floats, musicians and dancers. Those wanting to feast on a bit of proper Irish grub, you’ll be spoilt for choice, as there are food stalls galore in Covent Garden, selling cheeses, soda bread and smoked fish. If the commotion gets a bit much, you can sit back and relax in the Prince Charles cinema, which is kindly showing free Irish films all day. The fun kicks off at noon in Trafalgar Square.
For those with music on their mind, you can celebrate the saintly ‘snake-ridder’ at various different London venues. Clubbers can club along to The Mass, Brixton, for drum’n’bass at the St Patrick’s Day Blazer – although anyone looking for traditional Irish tinkling melodies may be a little disappointed/thoroughly confused/deafened. Those interested in flailing around, Michael Flatley style, should get their dancing shoes on and head to Brogans, Fulham, to enjoy true Irish ales and live music until 2am. The more classical amongst you can waltz along to St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, where you can appreciate a medley of violin, flute and harp music by the London Irish Ceilidh band.
We’d like to leave you with one more fact to tell to anyone questioning your Irish authenticity on Saturday night: The tiny island of Montserrat in the Caribbean is the only place in the world apart from the Republic of Ireland and the Canadian province of Newfoundland in which St Patrick’s Day is a public holiday. Ha, now kiss my Blarney Stone.
I can't believe you haven't got anything on here about The Claddagh Ring Pub in Hendon, North London which is an absolute MECCA on St Patrick's Day!!! It pulls in people from all over, including celebs and famous DJs partying it up on St Paddy's (I had a nice chat with Sara Cox 2 Paddy's Day's ago).
Posted by: Charlotte | 15/03/2007 at 04:57 PM
I can't believe you haven't got anything on here about The Claddagh Ring Pub in Hendon, North London which is an absolute MECCA on St Patrick's Day!!! It pulls in people from all over, including celebs and famous DJs partying it up on St Paddy's (I had a nice chat with Sara Cox 2 Paddy's Day's ago).
Posted by: Charlotte | 15/03/2007 at 04:57 PM
On Sunday March 18th, you could do alot worse then stroll down to the main stage Trafalgar SQ at 13:00 and withness the legendary JACK L - one of Irelands greatest stars - ...whos name you will no doubt become more and more familiar on this side of the water.
He is amazing.
Check out www.JackLukeman.com
or
www.myspace.com/jacklukeman
Posted by: Murphy | 15/03/2007 at 05:50 PM