St. Patrick's Day Celebrations Dublin 2011

For fans of St. Patrick's Day, there is no better place to celebrate than Dublin, Ireland. Ireland's capital and largest city, Dublin is the centre of Irish St. Patrick's Day celebrations. At its inception during the late 9th century, St. Patrick's Day was known as St. Patrick's Feast Day. It was formed to commemorate Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who is known to have introduced Christianity to the poly-theistic native Irish. It is said that Saint Patrick used a shamrock to teach to holy trinity to the Irish, which explains the contemporary focus on the shamrock. Although St. Patrick's Day is still on the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, it is now celebrated primarily as a secular holiday to showcase Irish culture.

St. Patrick's Day in Dublin

There is much to do in Dublin on St. Patrick's Day. Although there are St. Patrick's Day celebrations at pubs and event centres throughout the city and its surrounding areas, the largest of these is no doubt the St. Patrick's Festival. The Saint Patrick's Festival is both annual and government run. Its primary aim is to reflect on the achievements as well as the talents of the Irish people. 18 months were spent planning this year's festival. This means that preparations were underway 6 months before the 2010 St. Patrick's Festival. The 2011 St. Patrick's Festival, which will be held between the 16th and the 20th of March, will consist of a world class parade, a boat race, comedy, music, theatre, drinking and a literary treasure hunt. In recent years, the turnout for the St. Patrick's Festival has been between 1 and 2 million people, which is more than double the festival's turnout when it began in 1995. The best way to celebrate March 17th is no doubt in Dublin Ireland.

If you're looking to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Dublin and are looking for a hotel to stay, check out Jurys hotels in Dublin.