Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, friends! I trust you're all celebrating in style.

So what is Paddy’s Day like in Ireland, you ask? Is it true that it was the Americans that shamed the Irish into celebrating the day properly? Well…yes and no.

I noticed a trend in chatting with people the last few weeks that many Dubliners told me they were heading to London for the weekend, though it’s hard to know if this was in an effort to avoid the incoming herds of American tourists or to go be nearer to the action for Saturday’s Six Nations rugby match between England and Ireland, or a bit of both. I can say that for the better part of the weekend, I’ve heard more American accents than Irish and it seems that the amount of Irish paraphernalia one wore (leprechaun hats, fake red beards, shamrock facepaint) was directly proportional to the distance they traveled to reach Dublin for the weekend. Many locals aren’t even wearing so much as a green top (ahem, Siobhán!), whereas the Americans in Ireland are decked out in full regalia (case and point: decked out tourists studying a map of Dublin).

Most of the expats also seem to be hosting American guests, and I’m no exception. My sister Helen, who is studying in London this term, and her college roommate Julie, who is spending a semester in Pamplona, both arrived to Dublin’s fair city on Thursday, ready to kick off the weekend of touring and celebrating our Irish heritage, and Helen brought along ‘lucky’ green shirts that my grandmother had sent along for us from the States to ensure that we were properly attired. In recent years, we’ve been able to spend the holiday with my grandparents in Florida over our college spring breaks, and even at 80+ years old, they never miss a chance to celebrate their Irish roots. As dutiful granddaughters, we promised to have a pint of the local brew for them.

Still, outside of city center and Temple Bar, my local pubs are packed and my accent is definitely the exception in this neighborhood – a much more local scene, and even if it's not quite the sea of green you'd find in city center, the locals are celebrating just as much as the tourists to be sure.

I’ll post more on our full weekend tomorrow, but for now, sláinte! Enjoy the day!