Why do you think St. Patrick's Day is so popular all over the world?

I travel a lot and have been lucky enough to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in 5 different countries (Ireland, Scotland, France, the US and Japan).  The one constant has been that in all those countries the day was used by the people there as an excuse to have a big old party.  As a country of migrants for so long, we Irish have made our homes and been made to feel welcome all over the world.  I guess part of the reason that we were accepted might be that we brought a ready-made excuse for a celebration with us!  We think of ourselves as a nation of fun-lovers and St. Patrick’s Day is the epitome of that.

Do the Irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the same way as people in the US?

It is the biggest holiday of the year in Ireland by far.  Like in some of the big cities in the US, many towns and cities in Ireland close their streets for a huge parade of marching bands, floats and pageants.  The parade in Dublin is the biggest of them all and has to be seen to be believed.  Hundreds of thousands of people line the streets and sing, dance and wave their flags and banners.  The atmosphere is absolutely fantastic.  The river in my hometown was never dyed like the Chicago River, but then again I think it was green enough already!

I now know that corned beef and cabbage is the meal of choice for many Americans on St. Patrick’s Day.  I must admit that I had never in my life had it as a meal until I was invited to dinner on my first St. Patrick’s Day after moving to the US.  Everyone at the dinner talked about is as a big tradition here and they were all shocked (and some were almost appalled) when I had no clue about its significance.  I have since found that it might be more of an Irish-American tradition than a tradition in Ireland.  That said, I’ve had it every year since and it tastes great!  It will be a tradition in my house for a long time to come.

Before I traveled to the US I had no idea that I was supposed to pinch people on St. Patrick’s Day if they were not wearing green.  I got caught a little off guard (and got a little annoyed at people) the first few times it happened, but I have been wise to that one every year since and am always sure to wear green on March 17!

What did St. Patrick's Day mean to you back home?

First and foremost, as a child it meant a day off school!  It’s the National Holiday in Ireland and most businesses and schools are closed.  It always falls within Lent (a 40 day period before Easter when we were supposed to give up something we enjoyed) but when I was young my mother allowed it to be a “special occasion” when my sisters and I had a day off from our “abstinence”.  As a child who craved any and every form of candy, but was not allowed to eat it for 6 weeks, I always looked forward to Paddy’s Day and made sure to make up for lost time by devouring every piece of candy I could find!  When I became old enough, Paddy’s Day was often a day when I would “drown the shamrock” (I think you know what I mean) with friends and family.  It was always a very festive occasion!    

Have a great St. Patrick’s Day.  Sláinte!