St Patrick's Day - Irish sites and celebrations worldwide

 St Patrick's Day is an annual celebration of all things Irish. St Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th, treated as the nniversary of the day of his death, the end of his life converting the Pagan Irish to Christianity. But he is also credited with removing the snakes from Irelandd, but there were no records of any snakes before his arrival. 

If you are a devotee of St Patrick or Irish religion and culture and travel and tourism, consider a trip to the capital of Eire, Dublin, where you can visit St Patrick's cathedral. Other places are associated with St Patrick.

For writers, several places are memorable. Famous Irish authors. The Blarney stone. Limerick.

Visiting Limerick - what to see

Limerick is on the coast, on the river, and dominated by the massive castle walls and twin towers of St John's Castle.

Expect celebrations near and far in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and all over the UK. In pubs such as Wetherspoons, green hats to be bought or given to patrons.

Customers wear green clothes and items with Irish words and jokes.

London

Trafalgar Square in the centre of London has music, dancing, and food to buy.

You can buy Irish items from supermarkets and party shops.

St Patrick's Day hats on Amazon.

Expect celebrations in pubs and major cities in the UK, USA, Australia and Singapore. Check your local newspapers, TV stations, the internet and YouTube and Wikipedia. In previous years cities in the USA have sold green drinks and Chicago even turned the river green. Expect worldwide jollity, and people singing in public and on public transport in London in the evening.

If you are entertaining, you can download suitable green borders and symbols for invitations and menus.

You can look for the tunes and words of popular Irish songs to play as background music at the start o meetings and meals and celebrations.

Travel

For travellers, in addition to celebrations on the day, visits of interest include 

1 churches associated with St Patrick, and 

2 Guinness tours in Dublin, Eire, and London, England. 

In Northern Ireland you can visit sites connected with the Game of Thrones. Must see, major museum, Titanic Belfast. 

Celebrate St Patrick's Day 

by Angela Lansbury

St Patrick's Day the Colour green

Is on the pubs in every scene

The brightest green you've every seen

In drinks, on chairs, balloons and hair

The colours green, orange and white

Are sure to bring all great delight

Drinking by day, singing by night

And smiling all night til daylight

In some cities you see parades

New Yorker smile and wave all day

Singapore - hats given away

At pubs which wanted all to stay

Chicago turns its river green

And green drinks make the weirdest scheme

Different things in different places

Green on spectacles and faces

Ireland has a lucky shamrock day

Montserrat has a holiday

Each country celebrates its way

With bagpipes, harps, or dance all day

I see that opportunity knocks

Although I do not dye my locks

That would give all my friends a shock

I'll wear green ties, or frocks and socks

Afterward I'll store them away

And send emails in which I say

My box of Irish goods will stay

Locked in box rooms til Patrick's Day.

Green four leaf clover sandals. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 

You can learn or refresh Irish Gaelic on Duolingo and other online language courses. The Duolingo starter lesson, which is free, teaches you to say, hear and recognise, and read the words, tea, coffee, sugar, and, please.

Language

Bilingual Irish and English sign in Wikipedia article on language. Photo by Darren J Prior

Useful websites on St Patrick's Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Great_Day_for_the_Irish

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_cream

https://opengatelondon.guinness.com/en/tours

https://www.ireland.com/en-gb/things-to-do/events/home-of-st-patrick-festival/

Details of Northern Ireland, St Patrick's grave, and visitor centre, Giants' Causeway, Spring Equinox walks on Saturday March 21st

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland?

https://www.titanicbelfast.com/

https://visitbelfast.com/blog/post/glass-of-thrones-trail-map/

Irish Language

duolingo.com

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Irish_phrasebook

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_language

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lingui-Sticks-Language-Learning-Stickers-Educational/

-ends-

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Croatia and the Dalmatians and Dubrovnik

  Croatia, former Yugoslavia, known for the city of Dubrovnic, and Dalmation dogs. 

Croatia looks like a letter c or r, with a horizontal east west band across the top and a long coastline parallel to Italy.

Dalmatia is down the coast, with the spotted Dalmatian dogs, and the city of Dubrovnik facing Italy across the sea.

I remember visiting Dubrovnik with my parents when I was about 10 years old in 1956 when Yugoslavia was one country, united.

You can take a walking tour of the Games of Thrones.

Useful Websites

https://www.decantalo.com/uk/en/testament-the-dalmatian-dog-babic.html 

https://croatia.hr/en-gb

The Big Three and the Little Ones. Have You Heard About The Wildflower Alleys In The Heart Of Belfast?

 Belfast, Northern Ireland. While there, see t

1 The Titanic museum. Where next? 

2 Giant's Causeway (Chanks of natural stone like oblongs standing on the beach). Then the trail.following sites of 

3 The Game Of Thrones.

Useful Websites

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/northern-ireland/articles/10-best-hiking-trails-in-northern-ireland/

https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/tv-and-film/game-of-thrones

United States or Independent Countries? What's Best?

Problem
Is it better to unite, or be independent?

Answers
THE USA
At school, I had learned that the United States had united and that was a good thing. Common language. Common currency. Common laws. That made the country great.

However, when we lived in Rockville, Maryland, on the outskirts of Washington DC, as soon as we drove to The South, we travelled back in time to a different world and world view. At stately homes, we met elderly volunteer lady tourist guides wearing costumes which looked like crinolines. These ladies vociferously told us differently. I remember one comment, "They left us in the dust!"

Please don't mention the Boston tea party.

EUROPE
Italy
In Europe, Italy had united. They now speak Italian.

The UK
Long before, the Romans united Italy and Europe and more. The schoolchildren in the UK are keen on Romans. No mention of the fact that the Romans conquered us.

Actually, there is. Julius Caesar's comment on arrival, 'Veni vidi, vici' is a much quoted, popular saying. To the average eight-year-old, it would appear that the Romans were on a jolly day trip.

The Romans did leave us nice straight roads. Lots of names, Chester, Winchester, Manchester.

The United Kingdom united. The UK joined the Common Marked. We were delighted.

Now, we have voted on Brexit. Uproar.

In England we speak British English. At least I do. Am I the only one?

Conclusion
Unification and division have taken place or been promoted in Yugoslavia, Croatia, Nigeria, The Yemen, East Timor and many more places. Travel to another country to hear different views on modern problems and ancient history.

Useful Websites
HISTORY & WEBSITES
UK TV programme: What the Romans did for us.
http://blog.english-heritage.org.uk/what-did-the-romans-do-for-us/

TRAVEL
UK
visitbritain.org
visitbritainshop.com
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/home#/
virginatlantic.com
visitengland.com
visitwales.com
visitscotland.com

Northern Ireland
Belfast, Giants Causeway, Titanic Quarter and Titanic Belfast museum, Game of Thrones
discovernorthernireland.com

Eire - Dublin and southern Ireland, Republic of Ireland
ireland.com/Tourism

ITALY
visititaly.com
umbriatourism.it (For Etruscan Perugia)
italiantouristboard.co.uk
http://www.turismoroma.it/?lang=en

USA
visittheusa.co.uk
virginatlantic.com

GENERAL worldwide
tripadvisor.com
wikitravel.org
wikivoyage.org
skyscanner.net (airlines)

Author
Angela Lansbury
See my posts on the USA and Canada, Asia including Singapore and East Timor, Europe including Umbria and the Etruscans, and many more. Please share links to your favurite posts. See my last post about Slovenia and Yugoslavia and countries splitting up.

Game of Thrones Quiz and Tour to Northern Ireland

I clicked on a Game of Thrones quiz and scored only 2 out of 6, but I have never watched the TV series. However, the locations looked so lovely that I am now interested in both watching the series and visiting Northern Ireland.

My list of must see places in Northern Ireland and Eire include:

1 The Titanic Belfast exhibition
2 Giant's Causeway
3 The Blarney Stone - might not kiss it, but photograph others and learn about it.
4 Belfast
5 Dublin (again)
6 Jewish tour including Jewish museum (I was sent a leaflet years ago)
7 Literary tour (James Joyce, Yeats and more): Grave of Yeats. Mountains of Mourne (inspired CS Lewis's children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia which includes the book The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.).
8 Scenic places from the quiz including: White Peak Bay in Northern Antrim, a beach with elephant rock, Ireland's smallest church and fossils.

Yeats was awarded the Nobel prize for literature in 1923. Interesting and opposite views of whether it is wonderful or dull to visit his grave, inscribed with a poem.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g211933-d215212-Reviews-Yeats_s_Grave-Drumcliff_County_Sligo_Western_Ireland.html

Game Of Thrones tour £35 per person from Belfast including Giant's Causeway.
http://www.ireland.com/en-gb/offer/

Longer Game of Thrones tours four days cost more than £1000.
http://www.ireland.com/en-gb/articles/regions/game-of-thrones/game-of-thrones-quiz/?

Numerous tours of different kinds,  including escorted and DIY, with bikes or boats, to waterfalls and caves and cliffs and castles. Other tours and events feautre Irish music or food.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, researcher and speaker.