‡™ƒ”‡ǣ ‡”‹ƒŽ ˆ‡•–‹˜‹–›Ǩ ”‡Žƒ† ‹• ƒ ˆ—
loving country blessed with great places,
especially outdoors, so the whole family
plunges into the celebration of its many
festivals. Since more is always merrier,
the Irish are happier still when they can
•Šƒ”‡ ‹– ™‹–Š ‘—–•‹†‡”•Ǥ —–•‹†‡”•ǫ Ž›
for a wee bit. Everyone here swears by
the mantra that ‘There are no strangers,
only friends we have not yet met.’
There are festivals of all kinds, especially
secular ones, throughout the year to
make the forming of new friendships
easier. Indian families holidaying in
Ireland will feel very much at home as
they are drawn into the festive whirligig.
Naturally, music, dance, fairground
amusements, and unique regional food
are the staples of all such events,
whether they are dedicated to saints or
song and dance, horses, harvests or
Halloween spooks.
‘ ƒŽ•‘ …Š‡… ‘—– –Š‡ ƒ”‡– ƒ‹”•Ǥ Š‡›
too are a wonderful opportunity for you
to sample the traditional Irish way, and
meet the typical Irish ‘characters’. The
children specially will have something
unique to talk about when they return
home. Not many of their school friends,
being urban animals, would have been
to a horse, sheep or cattle fair. For an
extensive list of festivals in Ireland visit
www.discoverireland.com We have
listed a few for you not to miss.
March
St. Patrick’s Festival
www.stpatricksfestival.ie
St Patrick is Ireland’s patron saint. His
ƒ› ‹• ‘ ƒ”…Š ͳǡ „—– –Š‡ ˆ‡•–‹˜‹–‹‡•
start for almost a week before that. The
kids will be fascinated by the innovative
ϐŽ‘ƒ–• ™Š‹…Š ™‹† –Š”‘—‰Š –Š‡ •–”‡‡–• ‘ˆ
all the cities and towns accompanied by
jaunty bands during the world- famous
parade on the 17th. Throughout that
week, thousands of performers and a
million people liven up Ireland’s biggest
party. There is music, dance, street
theatre, family carnivals, comedy,
treasure hunts and night spectacles. As
they say, ‘Painting your face green is
optional, but having fun is compulsory.’
St. Patrick
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