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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 21:42:08 GMT
In build up to the big day, here's how everyone else is preparing celebrations for the worlds favourite saint (or the sheer love of booze, you decide) Korea Korea's eighth annual St. Patrick's Day Festival will celebrate 25 years of friendship and diplomatic relations with Ireland along Seoul's famous Cheonggyecheon river on March 15. The Irish festival, expected to draw a crowd of at least 10,000, will be Seoul's biggest ever celebration of the Irish national holiday and is fitting for the city's ever-increasing reputation as a global destination for business and tourism. Organized by the Irish Association of Korea in partnership with Diago, the festival will include live traditional Irish and rock music by Irish and Korean performers. Alongside a cameo performance by Korea's B-Boys, four famous Korean university bands will participate, appealing to young Korean festival-goers. The festival has been granted the prominent downtown location following consultation and help from the Seoul metropolitan government in an effort to build on the 6,000 people who celebrated the day at Marronier Park in Daehangno last year. Keith Morrison, chairman of the Irish Assocation of Korea, commented on the relocation, explaining that, ``Interest in the Irish Festival has been growing every year and moving it to a central, downtown location is an obvious move to make it more accessible to foreigners and Koreans. We wanted to build on this success and by working and consulting with the Seoul metropolitan government since last year we had an opportunity to move the festival to Cheonggyecheon ― one of the jewels of the city.'' As well as its long-term partnership with Diageo, the festival is supported by Enterprise Ireland, Korean Air, the Hyatt Hotel, PUMA Korea, the Renaissance Hotel and Woongjin. According to Keith, ``We have received more help than ever before and it wouldn't have been possible without all the partners' participation. Diageo has been a long-time supporter of the festival and has played a significant role in allowing the Irish association plan more ambitiously and increase the scale of the festival year-on-year. ``Through their sponsorship we have access to a professional event management company to allow us to put on a professionally organized concert and parade. With all volunteers working during the day, outsourcing this responsibility makes it all a lot more manageable," Kieth said. ``This year, we have also received significant funding from the newly opened Global Help Center and we hope to grow this partnership and tap into the potential of the festival at this new location.'' Keith takes his involvement with the Irish Association of Korea very seriously in that it has a large committee and is now more ambitious. ``I'm part of a very enthusiastic, large committee of about 20 active Koreans, Irish and other professionals of Irish heritage living in Seoul,'' he said. ``The committee works ― and has allowed us to be more ambitious with our planning ― because we have a great group of Koreans who have studied in Ireland and lots of people who are willing and passionate about putting together a free international party for everyone.'' Elaborating on why cross-cultural events are important, he said, ``They help everyone understand a little more about each other, form closer friendships and are important celebrations of internationalism and an opportunity for Seoul to show off what a truly international city it is and what a great place it can be to live in no matter what nationality you are.'' And finally, what can the Korean community expect? ``A good party for the whole family! We chose our musical performers to reflect the international nature of St. Patrick's Day. Traditional Irish music will be played by an extraordinarily talented Korean group, Bard, who recently returned from an award winning tour of Ireland. Bard is an example of how more and more young Koreans are learning and embracing aspects of Irish culture," he said. ``We also have four popular Korean University bands, a performance by Korea's famous B-Boy troupe and the festival will be opened by St. John the Gambler (a group of international musicians) and led by an Irishman," he said. ``Elsewhere, we have a cultural exhibition at the Gwanggyo Gallery (located at stream-level along Cheonggyecheon) from the 10th of March and will be on display until the end of the festival on Saturday. We will also have an Irish food stall with free samples Irish food and drinks," he said. Other fun aspects that can be enjoyed by the whole family include face painting, an Irish photo booth, lots of balloons and an Irish wishing well where some of the luck of the Irish may rub off on anyone who makes a wish! ``The parade which starts at 2 p.m. will be made up of three full marching bands, other musical performance and both Korean and foreign community sports and art and entertainment groups. About the Irish Association of Korea The association promotes Irish culture in Korea by organizing events of interest to Irish people in Korea and opportunities for Koreans and other people living in Korea to experience and learn more about Irish life. Among other events, it organizes the St. Patrick's Day festival in which over 6,000 people participate in Seoul every year. Keith works at Edelman Korea where he consults and helps major Korean companies communicate and grow in the international market. Following is the 8th Annual St. Patrick's Day Irish Festival schedule, brought to you by the Irish Association of Korea: |
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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 21:51:44 GMT
Cabinet to travel globe for Patrick's DayThe Government has revealed details of the overseas trips of most of the Cabinet for St Patrick's Day. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern leaves on Sunday for Washington DC, where he will present the traditional bowl of shamrock to US president George Bush at the White House. Tánaiste Brian Cowen will travel to Malaysia to represent the country while Minister for Enterprise Micheál Martin will be in Italy. Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey will be travelling to Australia, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern will fly to Argentina while Minister for Health Mary Harney will be attending Irish-themed events in Prague. Minister for the Environment John Gormley travels in London while Minister Education Mary Hanafin will officiate at the St Patrick's Day Parade in New York. Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche will spend St Patrick's day in China. The only Cabinet member staying in Ireland is Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea. The travel plans of the remaining Government members, including the Attorney General, will be announced later this week. A number of them are expected to travel to various US cities. A Government spokesman confirmed the carbon footprint caused by thousands of miles of air travel by the Cabinet will be offset to protect the environment. _________________________________________________________________ Phew! I thought that Ireland might have been left open for an invasion, but thank God Wild Willie O'Dea is staying to protect us!  "Come on ya punk. Make my feckin' day!"
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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 22:13:33 GMT
We can all be Irish for a while: St. Patrick's day in LebanonIreland's first UN Mission abroad was to Lebanon back in 1958 and since then the Irish presence there has been marked by a contribution to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that extended over 23 years and the most recent that followed the war on Lebanon in July 2006 and withdrew their troops in November 2007 thus completing two tours of duty that added another achievement to a remarkable presence in Lebanon and highly regarded military professionalism and conduct. Thus the memory of the days in Lebanon were neither forgotten by the local community that they served in the South nor has it been forgotten by the troops who served there , a home away from home. For every time we met up with either one of them the days of "the Leb" cropped up rapidly in the conversation and the memories brought up much vivid emotions. From the Isle's green pastures and much depicted breathtaking landscapes, the hearts of the soldiers who served as Peacekeepers were often in torn between duty and sympathy. Their ancestors had fought injustice and occupation for centuries. Their grandfathers and sometimes their fathers had gone through what the people of Lebanon were going through. They felt the strife of the locals who lived under Israeli occupation in the South. Yet duty prevailed and their outstanding performance has been recognised by the UN and by the contributing nations to UNIFIL. Ireland emerged strong and confident from its historical struggle for peace and harvested its planned appraisal of success to become one of Europe's leading economies. While Ireland was building up its international reputation as a hub for investments, its leaders were negotiating to put an end to the longest in European wars. A war that lasted nearly 837 years . Only a nation that went through so much can feel so strongly about injustice. The words of then Minister of Foreign Affairs Brian Cowan at the United Nations advocating for Lebanon and condemning the Qana massacres still echo in its chambers till date. The Irish through their divergence united around the persona of Saint Patrick and, like the Lebanese in diaspora, the Irish identify with their heritage and are proud of the tri colors: the orange, the white and green. The colors of the Irish flag who are three just like the three petals of Saint Patrick's symbol of the Holy Trinity: the shamrock. On March 17 of every year in Ireland and around the globe the world parades on Saint Patrick's Day marching the streets in joy. The wishes of a Happy Saint Patrick's day echo across the continents and add a festive mood to the celebrations. On "Paddy's Day," as they call it, we celebrate everything Irish. Many lessons can be learned from their experience in placing the benefit of all above all interests. Like all major cities around the world, Beirut has embraced the fever. On March 14 at Ocacti in Kaslik, the official opening of the Saint Patrick's Day Festival will be launched under the patronage of Joseph Sarkis, minister of tourism, in the presence of dignitaries and supporters of Ireland and the Irish Lebanese. The organisers, the Irish Lebanese Cultural Foundation, have flown in for the occasion a traditional Irish Band that will play at Ocacti in Kaslik on the 14, 15 and 16 of March. This is a tradition that will be carried out annually and will be listed on the agenda of touristic events in Lebanon .It will grow to engulf many cultural events and parades in the years to come. This was a foresight by the Ministry of Tourism to have Lebanon back on the map of fun , joy and laughter that the Lebanese are longing for. As spring arrives, the earth turn green, just as the emerald Isle .So everyone around the world can be Irish for a while.  Just before the first contingent joins UNIFIL the Irish Defence Forces lends a helping hand to the Irish Lebanese Cultural Foundation in loading a container of Hospital beds bound for Lebanon
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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 22:22:21 GMT
LondonThe St Patrick's Day festival and parade, which celebrates the Irish contribution to life in the city, will take place on 16 March between 12pm and 6pm in central London. Large crowds are expected to see marching bands, floats, costume characters, stilt walkers and street theatre. Also this year, the organisers are aiming to have all 32 Irish counties represented. The parade will start on Park Lane at noon and finish on Whitehall Place, passing through Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. The best of Irish music and dance will also be showcased in Trafalgar Square, including a performance from Moloko singer Roisin Murphy, guitar legend Joe Brown, singer/songwriter Luka Bloom, Ann Scott, Irish chart-toppers Aslan and the Celtic Masters. Celebrations continue at Covent Garden, where there will be a chance to sample Irish food and drink, while at Leicester Square there will be a céilidh. The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said: "The St Patrick's Day parade and festival make an excellent day out for families and are a great chance for all Londoners, as well as visitors, to celebrate the contribution that London's Irish community make to the capital." Other events taking place as part of the celebrations include a performance by the London Irish Symphony Orchestra (March 13); an exhibition by Bernard Canavan (until March 20); and Culture Bites (tomorrow, March 12). Find out more at www.london.gov.uk/stpatricksday and plan your journey at tfl.gov.uk/journeyplanner IRISH CINEMA AT ITS FINEST As part of the St Patrick's Day celebrations, the 2008 London Irish Film Festival will be taking place between March 13 and 16. Screenings include the British premiere of Kings, the first Irish language film to be nominated for an Oscar, which will take place on 14 March at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn. Four London venues including the Barbican and the Prince Charles Cinema off Leicester Square will be hosting new popular features, classic titles, Irish language short films and documentaries about life in Ireland. The film festival is supported by the Mayor of London, Culture Ireland and the Irish Film Institute. 
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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 22:28:38 GMT
Birmingham ready to go green for St Patrick's DayBIRMINGHAM is set to be bathed in green, white and gold at the city's annual St Patrick's Day parade. Sunday's celebrations will feature nearly 5,000 drummers, dancers, pipers and entertainers to wow the crowds of up to 100,000 revellers. Coun Ray Hassall, council cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture, said: "This is a celebration not just for Irish people and people in Birmingham of Irish descent but for the whole of the community. "I am of Irish descent, even though you have to go a long way back to find it, but what I really love is that lots of people who have no Irish roots at all come along to enjoy it. Last year we even had some Indian drummers involved." The parade will feature youngsters from the Davis School of Irish Dance, members of the Birmingham Irish Pipes and Drums, The Arklow Youth Band and floats from a number of community groups. There will also be organ-isers dressed as St Patrick and other characters as well as seven local women who have all featured in the famous Rose of Tralee Irish dance competition. Ted Ryan, chief executive of the Birmingham Irish Community Forum, said: "We are really looking forward to the weekend because it's a great event that appeals to everyone. "We get thousands of people turning out to watch the show and it's a real spectacle, so it should be well worth it." The parade starts in Camp Hill at noon on Sunday before heading through Digbeth to St Martin's in the Bull Ring Church, after which it heads down Alcester Road. Other celebrations over the weekend will include music and dancing in Selfridges and around the Bull Ring, from 12.30pm to 4pm on Saturday. 
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Post by bearhunter on Mar 11, 2008 22:37:29 GMT
Down here in sunny NZ we just kicked off a week-long Irish festival, with free buses bringing people on pub crawls of Irish pubs, a film festival, the NZ Symphony Orchestra doing Irish trad tunes in the Town Hall in Auckland and my local pub preparing to pour through 90 kegs of Guinness in a day. Myself, I shall be stuck up in Auckland this year, so I'm playing at the Claddagh pub, owned and operated by Neol Kelehan from Limerick, a tiny wee bloke who assures me that "if yeer shite, yeer not gettin' paid." None like your own, is there?
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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 22:49:13 GMT
San Francisco
LARGEST CROWD EVER EXPECTED FOR SATURDAY ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE Irish dancers entertain Friday attendees of the Mayor’s St. Patrick Day flag raising which kicks off the week long celebrations. San Francisco hosts the largest St. Patrick Day parade west of the Mississippi.[/img] Organizers predict more than 250,000 revelers to join St. Patrick’s Day festivities Saturday spearheaded by the United Irish Societies. The largest public celebration begins with a 5,000 participant Market Street parade kicking-off from Second Street at 11:30 a.m. as San Francisco Irish Pipers and the San Mateo Bearcat Marching Band spread traditional bagpipe and drum roll cheer. Community organizations such as the Irish Wolfhound Rescue Trust will put their best foot forward, marching alongside one man’s most favorite four-legged friends, the Irish Wolfhound, asCity Officials show their affinity for green by joining the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Celebration.  Mayor Newsom, the sixth Irish-American mayor of San Francisco, honors 2008 Grand Marshall Jack Curtin with March 15 officially prolcaimed Jack Curtin Day in San Francisco Cultural groups, dancers, and musicians will wend their way along Market Street to San Francisco Civic Center where the tri-color flag of Ireland waves from the Mayor’s Balcony of City Hall. Across from City Hall, Irish performers will grace the festival stage with foot stomping music and plenty of cheer. A family festival in Civic Center will include face painting, delicious food, and a world-class Beer Garden, organizers promise.
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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 22:56:13 GMT
St. Patrick’s Day celebrated even in Malta
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated every year on March 17 and it is a national holiday in Ireland to honor one of the country’s most famous heroes. With more than 60 million people worldwide claiming Irish ancestry including the 4.1 million citizens of Ireland St. Patrick’s Day is truly a global celebration.
Whether it is a festive celebration with lavish parades such as those in Singapore and the United States, or the “honorary Irishmen” of Russia or Spain who flock to their local Irish pub, one element of the celebration remains constant and authentically Irish: Guinness Draught, Ireland’s best-selling stout and most recognizable export. Much like St. Patrick’s Day itself, Guinness is rich in Irish history and tradition and is enjoyed worldwide.
“St. Patrick’s Day and Guinness are widely recognised around the world as Irish icons,” said John Hudson, Guinness Master Brewer. “There’s no better way to celebrate being the Irish heritage than by enjoying a pint of Guinness, responsibly, on St. Patrick’s Day.”
On Saturday, 15 March, a good number of pubs in Malta will be celebrating St Patrick’s Day with typical Irish music and special Guinness promotions.
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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 23:00:09 GMT
Essex firm raises a glass to St Patrick
FOUR stamps celebrating St Patrick's Day, designed by Colchester design consultancy Silk Pearce, go on sale today .
Commissioned by Royal Mail, the stamps are part of a series to promote the four countries of the United Kingdom and highlight some of Northern Ireland's top tourist destinations.
The “Celebrating Northern Ireland” mini sheet of stamps features Carrickfergus Castle on the banks of Belfast Lough, the Giant's Causeway, one of the UK's greatest natural wonders, a photograph of Belfast's Queen Bridge and a newly-commissioned illustration of St Patrick by Claire Melinsky. The background to the sheet is the Cushendun Hills.
“St Patrick's Day is not an event that the design team at Silk Pearce would normally celebrate but clearly this year we will be raising a glass or two of Guinness… after hours, of course!” said Peter Silk, joint creative director at Silk Pearce.
“We are always flattered when Royal Mail invites us to design commemorative stamps and it is a great feeling knowing that our work will be seen, admired and treasured across the world as people get ready to celebrate all things Irish.”
The stamps have been released a few days ahead of St Patrick's Day, which this year has been brought forward by two days to March 15h to avoid it falling in Holy Week, so people can buy them to use on any cards they may send to mark the patron saint's day.
The first two sets in the “Four Countries” series, which marked the national identities of Scotland and England, were issued in 2006 and 2007. The final set for Wales is due out on St David's Day on March 1, 2009.
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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 23:02:19 GMT
Down here in sunny NZ we just kicked off a week-long Irish festival, with free buses bringing people on pub crawls of Irish pubs, a film festival, the NZ Symphony Orchestra doing Irish trad tunes in the Town Hall in Auckland and my local pub preparing to pour through 90 kegs of Guinness in a day. Myself, I shall be stuck up in Auckland this year, so I'm playing at the Claddagh pub, owned and operated by Neol Kelehan from Limerick, a tiny wee bloke who assures me that "if yeer shite, yeer not gettin' paid." None like your own, is there? I'd say you'd probably drink 40 kegs yourself! Beerhunter for the day! |
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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 23:06:15 GMT
Leeds celebrates St Patrick's Day in style
Leeds shone with a thousand shades of green as the city celebrated St Patrick's Day in style.
The party, which will have stretched into the early hours of today and beyond, attracted thousands of revellers, all there to enjoy the famous craic – whether they held an Irish passport or not.
Thousands of people took part, following on behind the brightly decorated floats or lining the city centre streets to watch.
As the parade prepared to leave Millennium Square, the space buzzed with laughter and chatter, while in the background snatches of music, both modern and traditional, drifted in and out of the gentle breeze.
Stalls, selling or promoting just about all things Irish, ringed the square, while in one corner bar staff were limbering up to pull the nearly 4,500 pints of Guinness that were waiting expectantly in the pumps.
Kaye Needham, originally from County Down but now of Whitkirk, Leeds, had brought two-year-old Henry to his first parade.
Kaye's leprechaun outfit saw her decked out in green from top to toe, while she was also sporting a huge, bushy ginger beard.
She hailed Leeds's celebrations as some of the best in the world.
"It is fantastic," Kaye said. "The atmosphere is so good, it has to be up there with the best."
Along the route, Vanessa Gibbons, partner Gareth Howie and children Hattie, Lydia and Rhianna were watching their first parade.
Vanessa, of Rothwell, said she was third generation Irish, and that her granddad had built a lasting Leeds legacy.
She said: "His name was Tim Conway. He was a builder, from East End Park, and he built the Conways in Harehills."
As the later stages of the parade appeared, the sound of fiddle, harp and drum faded and was replaced by roaring engines, as
about 25 bikers, from the Aire Valley UK group, appeared.
Many of them on Harley Davidsons, their black leather and polished chrome shone in the spring sun.
One of their number, Paul Pringles, explained: "We were delighted when we were asked to join the parade. We are off to Ireland next for one of the big parades over there."
The Irish have had a long tradition of settling overseas, with Leeds's community dating back 150 years or more.
But among yesterday's crowds were descendants of some of the Emerald Isle's earliest explorers, pioneers who settled on the Caribbean island of Montserat in the 17th Century.
Among them was Bernadette Irish, who moved to Gipton, Leeds, after fleeing Montserat's erupting volcano.
She said: "St Patrick's Day is a big celebration in Montserat. This is our first time at this parade, it is a lovely environment. It is a party for everyone."
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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 23:11:40 GMT
Pub Bans Classic Irish Tune "Danny Boy"
NEW YORK, NY -- It's depressing. It's not usually sung in Ireland for St. Patrick's Day.
Its lyrics were written by an Englishman who never set foot on Irish soil.
Those are only some of the reasons a New York City pub is banning the song "Danny Boy" for the entire month of March.
"It's overplayed, it's been ranked among the 25 most depressing songs of all time, and it's more appropriate for a funeral than for a St. Patrick's Day celebration," says Shaun Clancy, who owns Foley's Pub and Restaurant in Manhattan.
The 38-year-old, who started bartending when he was 12 at his father's pub in County Cavan, promises a guest free Guinness if he or she sings any other traditional Irish song at the pub's March 11 pre-St. Patrick's Day karaoke party.
On other nights, guests will be rewarded with a surprise.
Not everyone agrees.
Foley's is going head to head with a pub near Detroit -- AJ's Cafe in Ferndale, Mich. -- which is staging a "Danny Boy" marathon on St. Patrick's Day weekend, offering 1,000 renditions of the song over 50 hours.
The lyrics for the song published in 1913 were written by an English lawyer, Frederick Edward Weatherly, who never even visited Ireland, according to Malachy McCourt, author of the book "Danny Boy: The Legend of the Beloved Irish Ballad."
Weatherly's sister-in-law had sent him the music to an old Irish song called "The Derry Air" and the new version became a huge hit when opera singer Ernestine Schumann-Heink recorded it in 1915.
Some say it's symbolic of the great Irish diaspora, with generations of Irish fleeing the famine and poor economic conditions starting around 1850.
Others have guessed it's sung by a mother grieving for her son or even by a desolate lover -- depending on how one hears lyrics like "The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying 'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide."
In the 1940s, "Danny Boy" was recorded by Bing Crosby, became the theme song of television's "Danny Thomas Show" from 1953 to 1964 and has been a vehicle for vocal stars from Judy Garland, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash to Cher and Willie Nelson.
But for the rest of the month, Foley's will be "Danny Boy"-free.
"I'm glad! I'm glad! I'm glad!" exclaimed Martin Gaffney, 73, a retired passenger ship waiter who looked forward to the free beer. "You come in here and have a few pints for lunch. It'll be good."
The great old song is "all right, but I get fed up with hearing it -- it's like the elections," he said in a thick Irish brogue.
Instead, Gaffney said Wednesday he looks forward to crooning his own Irish favorites, like "Molly Malone" -- whose theme is also hardly a barrel of laughs.
A sort of unofficial anthem of Dublin also known as "Cockles and Mussels," the song tells the tale of a beautiful fishmonger who plies her trade on city streets and dies young of a fever.
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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 23:18:37 GMT
A postmodern St. Patrick's Day
For the first time in almost a century, the Irish this year will not celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick on March 17. Naturally, those Americans who have already purchased little green bowler hats and rehearsed symptoms for sick leave on the 18th will be asking pointed questions: Who authorized this outrage? Why fiddle with Christendom's sacred and profane rite of spring? What does this mean for the return of snakes?
The responsibility lies with ecclesiastical officials at the very highest levels: the Irish bishops' conference requested the alteration, and the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments authorized it. The petition was simply to advance the celebrations two days to March 15 to avoid their conflicting with the Holy Week of Easter, whose solemnities rank above all others in Catholic doctrine. And as for the snakes, they were probably never in Ireland in the first place.
Temporal authorities across the United States, however, will almost certainly proceed with festivities encouraging Americans to celebrate their Irishness on the usual schedule. What exactly Irishness means has always been something of a mystery for New World revelers, who often turn to Hollywood caricatures and the nearest flagon for direction. What is unusual this time is that recent upheavals on the home sod have left the Irish themselves equally flummoxed by the question.
This year's transatlantic discrepancy will reveal an even wider than usual gulf between those who wish to be Irish for a day and those who are ever so. While Americans have spent the past few decades cheering parades that reek of martial anti-Englishness, gaudy Catholicism and immoderate dissolution, the Irish have become an unrecognizably confident, secular and temperate nation. Indeed, so swift have been these changes—fueled by the country's economic boom—that relatively few Americans have noticed them. Fewer still are aware that this boom is now beginning to burst.
For the Irish, however, this lurching ride has created crises of culture and identity. Until just a few decades ago, Ireland was indeed an impoverished stepchild of Europe, resentful of its looming British neighbor and notorious for seeking solace in a pint or a pew. But in the late 1970s, the arrival of funds for infrastructure from Europe and direct investment from America gave sprout to a forest of cranes above the Dublin skyline and engineered the Celtic Tiger.
Before long, picturesque country fields yielded to banal housing estates and new motorways, prompting Irish cultural commentator Ann Marie Hourihane to lament, "History is finished here. Now we are going to live like everybody else." Not quite, but almost. Most Irish towns now have a Thai restaurant, but it's likely to be the most—not the least—expensive dining option, even if the chips accompanying the green curry are gratis. After centuries of losing population, Ireland has at last begun to welcome immigrants—like the new Nigerian-born mayor of Portlaoise—and to deport those who overstay their visas. And even the most modest laborers have surfed the rising tide of housing prices to acquire multiple homes.
Many Irish citizens grew up in a far poorer country, one more akin to the quaint cartoon of American soap and cereal commercials. Yet just when they had begun to appreciate their newfound affluence, the turf began to list again. In recent months, mortgage lending has cooled to its chilliest level in almost a decade and a half. Government corruption tribunals are discovering brown paper bags of graft that were easy to ignore when all was booming. The rise of Sinn Fein—the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (whose name translates to "ourselves alone")—has been eclipsed by rampant ministerial self-dealing, which observers have deemed "me-feinism" (a phrase whose translation is depressingly self-evident).
These worries have prompted a bout of self-examination by Ireland's leading intellectuals into the meaning of Irishness now. To be Irish today, it seems, is to wonder and worry about what it means to be Irish. So just as Ireland was growing comfortable with its emergence into modernity, it finds itself careening directly into postmodernity. And if tourists can enjoy a Starbucks latte, dubious ethnic meal and mortgage crisis in the comfort of their own economy, why bother traveling to Ireland to do the same?
The success of the past three decades stoked tension between locals who were delighted by disposable income and visitors who were distressed by disposed-of charm. But perhaps the recent fiscal correction—combined with this year's rare convergence of two great national holidays—will allow Ireland to catch its breath, take off its designer sunglasses, and remember itself. Lest this sober reflection in the home country dampen America's desire to forget itself on St. Patrick's Day, we can remind ourselves that predictions about the end of history may be just what are needed to resuscitate it.
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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 23:24:10 GMT
Moscow
It's time to remember that long-lost uncle or great-grandmother from Ireland, pick up a pint of Guinness and get into the St. Patrick's Day spirit on Novy Arbat. This year's parade will take place on Novy Arbat on Sun., March 16, the day before St. Patrick's Day, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Since its inception in 1992, the annual parade has become a huge event with thousands of participants.
March 17 is the anniversary of the death in 461 of St. Patrick, who supervised the conversion of Ireland's pagan people to Christianity. He is the patron saint of Ireland and led a colorful life -- kidnapped by Irish pirates from his home in England, he was forced to work as a slave and tend sheep in Ireland for six years before escaping to France, studying in a monastery and, finally, being sent back to Ireland to spread Christianity.
The parade in Moscow is very much an international affair, with performers from across Russia. After all, as they say in Ireland: "On this day, everyone is Irish." There will be a wide variety of musicians, dancers and performers taking part in the parade. Wearing green is de rigeur.
A number of events are planned around the city in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. On March 14 and 15 at Grand Buf there will be concerts featuring two of the top Irish bands in Russia -- Foggy Dew and Puck-n-Piper -- as well as performances by a harpist, a bagpiper and a top Russian Irish dancer.
Sally O'Brien's pub will be throwing a party after the parade, starting at 4 p.m. There will be live Irish music and dancing and special offers on selected beers and spirits such as Jameson whiskey.
The Shamrock pub will be holding an 'Ireland Week' starting on March 10 with special offers on Irish drinks and food, and live music and dancing after the parade.
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Post by earl on Mar 11, 2008 23:37:09 GMT
The world-renowned Irish Festival finds its way to the Land of the Rising SunEvery year on March 17, people around the world come together to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in honour of St. Patrick, one of Ireland’s most revered historical figures. It is said that the date was chosen because it was St Patrick’s birthday and, incidentally, the day he died in the fifth century. However, few people actually know that the first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade was held not in Ireland, but in New York in the 1700s by soldiers of Irish heritage serving in the English army. Since then, St Patrick’s Day has been celebrated the world over. The Japanese, for one, love a good party, and St Patrick’s Day is as good an excuse as any to let their hair down. Japan’s ties with Ireland can be traced to the 1800s when Tomomi Iwakura led a mission there to learn about technology and educational methods for the Japanese government’s programme of modernisation. While in the city of Dublin, this group of officials visited the Guinness brewery and tried a pint of the famous dark beer. Every year since 1992, St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Japan have been organised by the Irish Network of Japan with the support of the Irish Ambassador. In fact, in 2001, one of the dignitaries who attended the event was then deputy prime minister of Ireland, Mary Hearney. The festivities are held every year in Harajuku, the most colourful section of Tokyo. Also the fashionable Omotesando Avenue is lined with Irish and Japanese flags, as more than 10,000 revellers take to the street, riding on floats, playing in the marching band, dancing, juggling and joining the parade. A highlight of the St Patrick’s Day celebrations in 2007 was when the 333m high Tokyo Tower was illuminated in green neon lights. Other parts of Japan enjoy St Patrick’s Day too, on varying scales. Usually the bigger cities like Yokohama, Nagoya, Ise, Kyoto and Sendai organise their own version of St Patrick’s Day parades and parties. Apart from merrymaking on the streets, various organisations line up sports events, charity galas and balls, and food fairs featuring every Irish delicacy, mainly cabbage and bacon, savoured with a pint of Guinness Draught. There was a time when Guinness Draught was served as a curiosity in a handful of bars in Japan. In the past 10 years, more and more Irish pubs have opened up around the country. The Irish pubs in Tokyo send attractive young ladies to the parade to hand out free vouchers for a pint of Guinness Draught.  Marching in March: Get ready for a different kind of street parade as the St Patrick's Day takes on the streets in Tokyo.Not surprisingly, the “voucher girls” are a parade highlight! Guinness, an icon of Ireland, is as much a tradition of St Patrick’s Day as the shamrock, the leprechaun and the colour green. It wasn’t until the late 1980s, when Irish pubs began opening up en masse around the world serving Guinness, that the brew became the drink internationally associated with St Patrick’s Day. In the run-up to St Patrick’s Day in Malaysia this year, come join Guinness on a month-long celebration of St Patrick’s, with special Guinness-infused cuisine at selected outlets in the Klang Valley. Then on March 15 at Plaza Mont’ Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, Guinness will paint the town green with the St Patrick’s Carnival, featuring top-class international acts, artistic performances, fun games and exciting activities. 
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