DAY 10
ST PATRICK'S DAY PARADE AND FESTIVAL
OVERNIGHT IN DUBLIN
"The Saint Patrick's Day parade
through the Dublin city center streets is
an event not to be missed."
---Patrick O'Riley, Fianna Fáil
Until the end of the 20th century, St Patrick's Day in Dublin was celebrated with "just" a parade
through the city center on the morning of March 17th.
But in 1998 an entire
Saint Patrick's Festival was built up around the event, with all sorts of
activities, street entertainments, music, and shows. Year by year, the festivities
have grown. This will continue on an
even larger scale for the celebration in 2015.
The Saint Patrick's Parade begins at noon (Irish time) from Parnell Square and moves down O'Connell Street,
crosses over the River Liffey to the area near Saint Patrick's Cathedral.
A monster
ceili starts at 2:30 pm in St Stephen's Green: Irish dancing on a
massive scale. Join the
craic (that's Gaelic for "fun!")
Cheeky Irish Girls in the 2014 Saint Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin
©2014 Photo by Michael Reed ~ Creative World Travel
Irish Lads Arrive Early to Get a Good Spot at the 2010 Parade
©2010 Photo by Michael Reed ~ Creative World Travel
Older Lads All Dressed Up for the 2010 Saint Patrick's Day Festivities
©2010 Photo by Michael Reed ~ Creative World Travel
We suggest an afternoon visit to
Trinity College to see its 1,200-year-old Book of Kells, the most richly
decorated of Ireland's medieval illuminated manuscripts, housed in The Long Room
in the Old Library, one of the finest library buildings in the world. Admission to the Library
is free of charge on St Patrick's Day.
Trinity College Green
©2012 Photo by Michael Reed ~ Creative World Travel
The Irish Museum of Modern Art presents contemporary and modern art by both Irish
and non-Irish artists. The museum is housed in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, the finest
17th-century building in Ireland.
The Royal Hospital was founded in 1684 by James Butler,
Duke of Ormonde and Viceroy to Charles II, as a home for retired soldiers and continued
in that use for almost 250 years. The style is based on Les Invalides in Paris with a
formal facade and a large elegant courtyard.
The Chester Beatty Library, located in the gardens behind Dublin Castle.
The Library's collections are displayed in two permanent exhibitions: "Sacred Traditions" and
"Artistic Traditions".
The Sacred Traditions Gallery exhibits the sacred texts,
illuminated manuscripts and miniature paintings from the great religions and systems
of belief represented in the collections - Christianity, Islam and Buddhism with
smaller displays on Confucianism, Daoism, Sikhism and Jainism.
The Biblical Papyri,
the remarkable collection of Qur'an manuscripts and scrolls and books of Buddhist
thought provide the focus for the displays. Audio-visual programmes on Rites of Passage
in many faiths, prayer and pilgrimage enhance the displays.
The Artistic Traditions gallery is devoted mainly to works of art on paper,
techniques of print-making, binding and paper-making and the art of miniature
painting.
The display draws on the rich manuscript holdings, the collection of
rare printed books and of decorative arts, especially from East Asia. The exhibition
is introduced by a display devoted to the life and work of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty.
Dublin Band The Fitzafrenics Perform on Grafton Street on Paddy's Day
©2014 Photo by Michael Reed ~ Creative World Travel
The city comes alive at night with entertainment in the capital's pubs, clubs
and restaurants ... and in the streets.
O'Donoghue's Bar at 15 Merrion Row (not far from our hotel) is Dublin's most famous
venue for traditional Irish music with sessions every night. Tiny and cramped,
but ringing with joyous sounds of the harp,
bodhran, and uillean pipes,
O'Donoghue's sometimes has two groups playing simultaneously on both sides of the pub.
The Brazen Head at 20 Lower Bridge Street also offers traditional Irish music every night,
It claims to be the oldest pub in Dublin, dating back to 1198.
Other favorites for traditional music are
Auld Dubliner at 17 Anglesea Street, as well as
Whelan's and
The Village, both on Wexford Street.
Harley Patrick at the 2008 St. Patrick's Day Parade
©2008 Photo by Michael Reed ~ Creative World Travel
DAY 11 / WEDNESDAY / MARCH 18
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