March 12, 2018
Hundreds of countries around the world have saints, and in particular a patron saint. Each patron saint has a special day that is widely celebrated in their country. But how many of these have their day celebrated around the world? None that I can think of; except of course for the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick.
Saint Patrick’s Day, or Saint Paddy’s Day as it’s often affectionately called, is on March 17th. Unlike others, his is often celebrated over a period of days, especially when it falls on a weekend, and also in many countries and major cities of the world, even in Ljubljana.
Obviously it’s a big event in Ireland, but why is it so popular worldwide? Well, it’s largely down to emigration. During the famine years of the 19th century in particular some two million Irish fled the country and emigrated, mainly to America and the UK, but also to many other countries around the world. Being a forced emigration, many held on to their traditions to help alleviate their homesickness. It was also the time when the Irish fight for independence from Britain was at its most intense. Thus the strong catholic faith was at the heart of this fight, and with Saint Patrick being their national apostle his day became a day for celebrating all things Irish.
Who was Saint Patrick?
There are many accounts of the saint’s life, including books he wrote himself; the most notable being Saint Patrick’s Confessio. It’s rumoured that the saint wasn’t even Irish but was born somewhere in Cumbria, Britain and was captured and enslaved by Irish pirates. He was sold to a chieftain and put to work as a shepherd in County Antrim. During this time he learned all about the Irish language and culture, and all about the pagan religion that he was destined to banish.
When he finally escaped, he went to France and joined the Catholic Church. Eventually he returned to Ireland as a missionary, and was determined to liberate the country from the clutches of the pagan religion and its rulers, the druids. He travelled the length and breadth of the land using the shamrock (a 3 leaf clover) to explain the holy trinity. Thus the shamrock has become Ireland’s national symbol.
His mission and life was heralded a huge success, and it’s probably for this reason that his day is seen as a celebration of freedom.
It started in America
In America the celebration was seized upon even more strongly, and the celebrations grew larger and larger every year. Parties and parades exploded in cities like New York and Chicago. Green became the symbol of all things Irish, beer was turned green, along with rivers and other landmarks. People dressed in green and carried shamrocks. Of course everything from America gets exported and the modern day celebrations are largely down to this.
However, the Irish government and tourist board also saw this as an opportunity to promote Ireland from a political and tourism perspective. They have teamed up and every year roll out the Global Greening initiative, in which famous landmarks around the world are coloured green in honour of the national holiday. In 2017 almost 300 landmarks were greened.
Ljubljana Castle to go green on Wednesday 14th
For many years now this has included the Ljubljana Castle, which was lit up green in 2015 by the Irish Embassy in Ljubljana. In 2016 the embassy was presented with a problem, as the castle was already being lit up green to commemorate the city’s status of European Green Capital 2016. However, one thing the Irish are very good at is not giving up, so that year the castle alternated between green and then the three colours of the Irish flag: green, white and orange. In 2018 the castle will be lit green again on the night of Wednesday 14th.
An official visit by Chairman of the Irish Senate
Around this time Dublin’s government buildings empty out as ministers and officials fan out around the world on official visits linked to Saint Patrick’s Day. The Prime Minister traditionally visits the American president. And this year Slovenia is also honoured to host a visit by Denis O’Donovan, the Chairman of the Irish Senate.
Join the party
Also on Wednesday, 14th Festivalna Dvorana will play host to a concert with renowned Irish musicians, guitar and bouzouki player Dónal Lunny, and concertina player, composer and producer Pádraig Rynne. Performing with them on stage will also be the local musical group Noreia and the dancers from Šola Irskega Plesa. Tickets can be bought here. Meanwhile, Orto Bar will be having a show by Happy Ol' McWeasal on Saturday at 20:00, with details here.
And if that's not enough, then there's a pub crawl taking in six locations. As per the Facebook page, "we will "crawl" from pub to pub and obtain awards for prizes, get to know the localities that connect the offer of excellent Irish beverages and socialize with new friends in different locations around the city."
After the party
After the concerts at Dvorana or Orto, or even before if you are not planning to go, why not head over to Patrick’s Irish Pub in Ljubljana centre, just off Trubarjeva Cesta, for a good pint or two.
Elsewhere
If you are not in Ljubljana then there are a couple of other Irish pubs you can go to. The Irish Pub in Kranj is hosting Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations on the nights of Friday 16th and Saturday 17th. Or in Maribor you can visit Patrick’s Irish Pub.
Just be sure to wear something green.
For more information about Saint Patrick and other Irish saints, along with a wealth of Irish folklore, check out Ian’s book: Mysterious World Ireland
