By Armelle Delmelle
Prepare yourself for a day drenched in rain and Guinness, as freckled blue-eyed boys and green-haired girls take over the city. No, they’re not Billie Eilish fans (well, most of them probably are!), this is St Patrick’s Day and it’s been a long time coming.
Jonathan Swift once remarked: “I don’t really like the term ‘luck of the Irish’ because the luck of the Irish is, historically speaking, f**king terrible.”
Before you google ‘profanity in Gulliver’s Travels’ – make sure you check out whether the satirist made it into our ‘Top ten figures of Irish literature’ (pages 16-17 of our St Patrick’s Day 2022 Special Edition) – it might be worth asking whether he had a point.
After all, the Irish have been waiting three years to celebrate a decent St Patrick’s Day. Any longer and it was in danger of turning into the Olympics. It’s hardly the ‘luck of the Irish’, is it!
Lucky for me though
So sorry four-leafed clovers and Leprechauns, but looking ahead to the big day itself on March 17 has made me realise they’re not really that lucky after all.
And besides, the expression actually stems from the US, not Ireland – specifically the gold (and silver) rush years of the 19th century, when many of the successful miners were of Irish heritage.
Still, I like to associate Ireland with being lucky. Had I not spent nine months in Dublin learning English, I would not have had the necessary language skills to work at the Copenhagen Post and end up writing this editorial.
Here I am, five years later enjoying my time in a new country and ready to celebrate Paddy’s Day like it’s 2017 all over again.
Paddy’s Day in Dublin
My first St Patrick’s celebration feels like it was yesterday. In Dublin, it lasts for days, and our teacher encouraged us to enjoy as many festivities as we could.
My roommate and I bought everything Irish we could to be ready, which was just as well: almost everybody was dressed in green at school and then, of course, on the parade.
I learned the basics of Céilí dancing in the streets with my friends, and on the big day itself we got up early and went straight to O’Connell Bridge to find a spot where we could have a good view.
St Patrick’s Day 2017 might have been rainy, but we didn’t really care. I’d be lying if I said I remembered every detail … it is after all a celebration with liquid refreshment.
Your turn to enjoy
For the first time since 2019, Copenhagen will be hosting a full program of St Patrick’s Day festivities. We urge you to plunge in headfirst and embrace the wonderful culture of the Emerald Isle.
In this supplement, we will take you through everything Irish. So, dress up in green and be ready to fall in love with this amazing country.
Learn about the two main events: the parade (page 6) and three-legged race (8) and then find out more about the country, starting with a trip around Ireland to take in the best sights (10-11).
Following that, let’s take a walk down memory lane with an A- Z on recent history (12-13), its shared past with Denmark (14-15) and a round-up of what’s happened on this day in history (18-19).
