It’s Saint Patrick’s Day tomorrow! It’s a bank holiday in Ireland, so most people have the day off work to go and see the parade in their hometown. Ireland’s biggest parade is in the capital, Dublin. This isn’t the largest parade in the world, however. The St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York is even bigger! There are many people in America who claim to be Irish. While there are 4.5 million people in Ireland, about 30 million Americans have Irish heritage. Why do so many Americans have Irish ancestors? In 1845, the population of Ireland was 8 million, but there was a famine and about 1 million Irish people emigrated to other countries. America was a popular choice for the people, and that’s why so many Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
The name is often shortened to Paddy’s Day. So what do we do on Paddy’s Day? First of all, make sure you wear something green, the more extravagant, the better. If you walk around Dublin you will see people in funny hats and fancy dress decorated with shamrocks. You should go to the parade, if there is one in your city. Every major city in the world has a parade, including Tokyo and Osaka. It’s a bright and colourful street parade and always great fun. After the parade, people usually go to a pub to drink Ireland’s famous black stout, Guinness. I would suggest going to Temple Bar, which is an area of Dublin that has many bars playing live Irish music. There’s music and dancing late into the night. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Alan