17 ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day without getting drunk
Getting smashed, inebriated, plastered, or ossified (as we Irish sometimes say) does tend to go hand-in-hand with how St. Patrick's Day is celebrated, but there are plenty of other ways to mark the one day of the year when everything and everyone goes green.
Here are 17 ways to mark the day without getting totally wasted.
1. Take a selfie in front of landmark that's turned green.
Major landmarks around the world such as the London Eye, the Sacré-Cœur, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Christ the Redeemer statue have been going green since the campaign started seven years ago. This year a bunch of new ones are joining, including 7 World Trade Center at Ground Zero in New York, Fenway Park in Boston, the Big Wheel in Tuileries Gardens in Paris, City Hall in Tel Aviv, Israel, and the light rail system in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The full global "greening" list can be found here.
2. Watch an Oscar-winning Irish movie.
Take 10 minutes and watch Stutterer — the short drama that picked up an Oscar last month. Written by Benjamin Cleary, it tells the tale of a lonely typographer who speaks eloquently in his head, but struggles to overcome his speech impediment when he talks. The film recently became available on iTunes.
3. Discover some new Irish music.
Irish music is much more than U2 and Enya. Last year we devoted an entire list to just this topic. Breakout acts to watch in 2016 include the haunting Saint Sister, the raucous Bitch Falcon, the synth-laden Le Galaxie, the energetic Pleasure Beach and the versatile Hare Squead. For further listening, fall down the musical rabbit hole that is Breakingtunes.ie — a platform that promotes new Irish music — or turn to the people who know the space best like Nialler9, On The Record and Across the Line.
4. Go watch the fastest game on grass.
If you've never been to a hurling game, you're missing out. With hundreds of GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) clubs that play the sport scattered in all corners of the globe you've got no excuse. The TL;DR about the 3,000-year-old sport: It's played by two teams of 15 players on a pitch with a H-shaped goal at either end. Every player has a stick made of ash called a hurley which they use to hit a sliotar (a leather ball). To score, players have to get the ball between the goalposts under (a goal, three points) or over the bar (one point). The team with the most points wins.
5. Put Irish butter into your morning coffee.
OK, so not every cow eats grass under the ruins of a castle, but because of the rainy climate, cows in Ireland are mostly grass fed... meaning you end up with the most delicious butter. Kerrygold is the gold standard and it's now available all over the world. Put it in your morning coffee to make it bulletproof.
6. Fill your Twitter timeline with Irish people that will make you laugh.
These five people will help turn your timeline green on St. Patrick's Day.
( https://twitter.com/colmtobin/status/704397551198445568 )
( https://twitter.com/GrainneMaguire/status/694963618299904003? )
( https://twitter.com/TaraFlynn/status/592261624465125376? )
( https://twitter.com/eleanortiernan/status/706553748366172161? )
( https://twitter.com/WeeMissBea/status/684379685741002753? )
7. Learn to speak Irish, listening to Sia, Avicii and Taylor Swift.
Dozens of these cover versions have emerged from the Gaeltacht in recent years — the Gaeltacht is the part of Ireland that still speaks Irish as its first language. One of the language schools in Connemara, County Galway has been churning out these reimagined versions. If nothing else you'll learn how to say, one, two, three (thanks to the pre-chorus of "Chandelier").
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A6__HssHW8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ambBEMNGOw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBtZ-odLBdw
8. Spend hours watching Father Ted re-runs.
Three catholic priests and their tea-obsessed housekeeper, living in a dilapidated and questionably decorated house on a remote island somewhere off the Irish coast, is not the first setting that that comes to mind as the premise for a comedy. Yet that is what you get with Father Ted and the resulting anarchic comedy is a classic. Re-watch the "My Lovely Horse" episode, or the time the pair got lost in Ireland’s largest lingerie department; the Speed-inspired episode with disgraced milkman Pat Mustard is another favourite as is Graham Norton's Fr. Noel Furlong Irish dancing in a caravan.
9. Learn to drink tea like an Irish person.
Pick a side in the debate that divides the nation. Two brands of tea rule Ireland: Barry's and Lyons and everyone has a preference. Try them both and pick a side. And don't forget, the milkalways goes in after the tea. If you manage that, move on to crisps — they're an equally contentious topic.
10. Download an Irish podcast to listen to.
There's a lot on offer: From the weekly An Irishman Abroad, a creation of London-based Irish comedian Jarleth Regan, to the hefty back catalogue of Finbarr Dwyer's Irish History Podcast, which covers many forgotten stories from Ireland's past, to Soundings, a roving podcast series focusing on storytelling, from singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan and Dylan Haskins, who dig out great yarns.
https://soundcloud.com/an-irishman-abroad
11. Watch some stunning drone footage of Ireland.
Ireland has beautiful landscapes, even more so when seen from above. It's easy to see how Johnny Cash wrote "Forty Shades of Green" after visiting the country.
https://vimeo.com/121565902
12. Read new Irish voices.
Irish writing has experienced a renewed burst of interest in recent years. Louise O’Neill’s powerful Asking For It should be on your list, while Sara Baume’s engaging (and Costa First Novel Award shortlisted) debut Spill Simmer Falter Wither is another worth adding. There are a bunch of classics too of course, Joyce, Beckett and Swift, but perhaps the recent movie success of Room might persuade you to read Irish-Born author Emma Donoghue’s much-claimed novel.
13. Make yourself the perfect Irish breakfast.
https://vimeo.com/86555431
The above video is a different take on the traditional, Irish "fry up" from the people behind Forkful. Their ethos is to make simple food look beautiful. In this episode, they make boxty (one of the best things you can make from a potato) with a poached egg and kale.
14. Learn how to say Irish names like an Irish person.
Know an Aoife, Niamh, Caoimhe, Tadhg or Oisin? You've probably been saying their name wrong. Despite their rising profiles, even Star Wars actor Domhnall Gleeson and Brooklyn's Saoirse Ronan have managed to get their names mangled recently at some high-profile events.
Watch this video and bring an end to the name butchering.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5kiuRUTiHQ
15. Start getting a daily dose of Ireland on Instagram.
Here are four excellent Instagrammers to start with. From the stunning scenes captured by Foxglovelane in Waterford to the daily pics of the capital taken by Dublin Diaries; the candid photos of people snapped by Lorcan Finnegan and Mark Duggan's always inspiring feed are all worth following.
@foxglovelane @dublindiaries
@lorcanfinnegan @mrkdggn
16. Check if you're eligible for an Irish passport.
With the UK considering Brexit and Trump on the rise in the U.S., arguably there's been no better time to get an Irish passport. If one of your grandparents is an Irish citizen who was born in Ireland, but none of your parents were born in Ireland, you may become an Irish citizen. However, unless at least one parent or an Irish-born grandparent was an Irish citizen a when you were born, you cannot claim Irish citizenship on the basis of extended previous ancestry.
17. Plan your trip to Ireland.
There's nothing else really left to do.
Happy St. Patrick's Day.
Happy St. Patrick's Day.
HAPPY ST PATRICK DAY!! :)
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