Today is Saint Patrick’s Day and, with that, a day of celebration. It is a lot more like the Fourth of July in America than an American St. Patrick’s Day. There is some drinking to be sure, but it is a day for family, country, and celebration.
We went to the parade in downtown Cork City which started at 1:00 p.m. We had been told by some friends in the area that it may be a disappointment to us since Americans make a bigger deal of it, so we figured it may be a small turnout and waited to walk over until just 15 minutes before the parade was set to start – BIG MISTAKE. The city was out in full force to enjoy the parade and the sunshine. We couldn’t find a place to stand with a view of the parade so we ducked into Soho bar for a pint hoping to watch from their second floor balcony. The balcony was packed, but we ran into friends and found a booth with built in taps so we stayed there until dinnertime then went to Cashman’s for a drink and some more craic. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and even better because we were lucky enough to be in the company of friends.
Photographs © 2009 Evin O'Keeffe
