For weeks, Galway had been abuzz with talk of Paddy's Day (never referred to as St. Patrick's Day) - planning the parade, stocking the pubs, and purchasing various flags, t-shirts, and other novelty items. My friends and I had asked reliable sources, such as taxi drivers, bartenders, and students, where to go for the craic on Paddy's Day and they all had one response: Galway. At first, we had wanted to go to Dublin but were told that is where all the tourists go and it is a far cry from the genuine experience we would get if we stayed in Galway. So we decided to save ourselves the bus and hostel fare and stay in our adopted hometown for the holiday.
On Thursday morning, my roommates and I woke up early, as there was no time to waste - the pubs opened at 10! We got dressed in our tackiest greens and went to our teammate Fiona's apartment, where she had turned our American suggestion of the classic "kegs and eggs" into her Irish version: "beer and breakfast." There was quite a spread of traditional Irish breakfast foods such as bangers (sausage), bacon (thick slices of ham), potato waffles, and toast with nutella, as well as the classic American breakfast items like bagels and cream cheese, muffins, and French toast. There was a bunch of us there, my roommates, assorted friends, and a bunch of girls from rugby. Always keeping it classy, we accompanied our breakfasts with variations of hard ciders, beer, and a couple brave ladies even had tequila sunrises.
After breakfast and pictures, we headed down to the nearby city center to watch the parade. It was pretty packed when we got there, but we found some space on the sidewalk and did our best to catch all that was going on. The theme of the parade had something to do with "around the world" so there were groups children and adults representing all different countries, as well as many bands, sports teams, and the standard police and fire department representatives. The majority of parade goers were families, all dressed up in green and waving their flags proudly.
The parade lasted for about an hour and then people suddenly began filling the streets to make their way towards the pubs. We joined the crowd and headed towards the King's Head, a Galway landmark that is a great spot for live music and watching sports events. Along the way, I noticed the air of excitement among the crowds - everyone, and I mean everyone, was dressed in some kind of green, shouting their allegiances to Ireland, and just having a good time. The weather was also being cooperative, sparing us the rain and warm enough to even enjoy a pint on the pub patio.
When we reached the King's Head, it was already pretty crowded with men, women, and a surprising amount of children. Many of them were there to watch a championship curling match in which Galway was competing. The Irish girls we were with intended on staying to watch the game as well, so we grabbed a few pints, pulled up some stools, and sat for hours watching the game and the people in the pub.
When the match had ended, we were all pretty tired and the day seemed to be getting away from us. We went back to Fiona's to eat the last of the breakfast fare and grab our belongings we'd left before making the walk back to our apartments. On the way, the streets were still bustling with celebrants. I was surprised at how calm the atmosphere seemed; I had expected the crowds of people to be drunk and out of control, but they honestly weren't. It seemed that for the Irish, the day was not about getting wasted as wasted as possible, but it was really about taking a day to celebrate their culture - the music, the food, the drink, the dancing...the whole camaraderie. It was really a sight to see and one of my favorite experiences thus far on my trip.
Love and shamrocks,
Haley
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