St. Patrick's Day Around the World

If it were possible to celebrate St. Patrick's Day around the world, like if you started in Australia and worked your way west around the globe, where might you land?

Here are 6 possibilities. None of them in Ireland:

At The Mean Fiddler in Sydney, Australia, St. Patrick's Day is a family event, and it lasts the whole weekend. Besides great music , there's authentic Irish food fare.

The Tokyo Irish Music Festival 2007 in Japan is another two day event. This is a real blend of east meets west. Michael McGuire of River Dance is part of the performance line-up. So is Taka Hayashi who joined Riverdance a few years back.

For free T-shirt and hat give-a-ways, head to O'Malley's Irish Pub in Shanghai, China. The doors won't close on St. Patrick's Day until the last person leaves (or something like that). The next day is a truly kid-oriented Irish festival. I think the idea is to give the kid's something to do while the adults get over a hang over.

If you happen to be in Turkey, here's a website to help you find a pub on your own. The addresses are given.

At Finnegan's Irish Pub in Florence or Rome, Italy, you'll find the real Irish deal and Irish sports broadcasts. The website has maps to help you get to that pint of ale before St. Patrick's Day is over.

In Dublin, Ohio, (I had to pick this one, I live near there.) St. Patrick's Day starts off with a run and finishes off with my husband's favorite Irish Band, The Prodigals. They're excellent and they tour everywhere.

For a comprehensive look for Irish pubs in other global locations, check out the website, Irish Abroad.

Happy St. Patty's Day and "Top of the mornin' to you," or some such thing. The photo is from last year's St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City. It is a blast. I went year's ago.

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Festivals and Events, China, Japan, Turkey, Italy, United States, Australia, Holiday Ideas