How green is Ireland on St. Patrick's Day?

April 7, 2005
By Maureen Schulte
Staff Writer

The grass is green by nature in Ireland, but there was not much green on the streets of Carlow on St. Patrick’s Day.

From an American’s standpoint, many would assume that the observance of St.Patrick’s Day in Ireland would be filled with a sprit of great magnitude. However, the Irish’s lack of enthusiasm for the celebration of this day was totally unexpected.

There was little evidence of green worn by the locals of Carlow on St.Patrick’s Day. A shamrock worn on their outer clothing represented the little green that could be viewed on the people walking the streets of Carlow.

“I think people don’t bother too much about the green over here because it’s usually the people that are not living in Ireland that are more patriotic than the Irish themselves,” said Ivan O’Reilly, a resident of Carlow.

“We’re Irish and we don’t need to show that we’re Irish by wearing all green,” said O’Reilly.

On the other hand, the states celebrate St.Patrick’s Day in a more festive manner.
Americans of all heritages may dress in green attire from head to toe to show their enthusiasm for the day. Big cities such as Chicago and New York hold massive parades, in which some Irish folk even travel to in order to partake in the high spirits of St. Patrick’s Day.

Paul Hackett, resident of Bunratty Ireland, traveled to New York to march in the parade for St. Patrick’s Day and was extremely impressed with the size of the parade and the celebration that followed.

“New York’s parade blew my mind away and was ten times bigger than the one held in Dublin,” said Hackett. “Every pub was packed full and I had one hell of a time there,” said Hackett.

While the Irish do honor St.Patrick’s Day, it’s just not celebrated to the full extent as it is in the U.S.

Therefore, if you had any desire to spend St.Patrick’s Day in the mother country, you might want to reconsider, for the thrill and excitement mainly exist within our own homeland.

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