St. Patricks Day Festival in Dublin Ireland from the 13th to The17th of March

A Little Bit Of History:
St. Patrick's day is celebrated around the world. However the best way to experience it is to go to Dublin in Ireland. From parades to street performers the Irish know how to celebrate their national holiday! Since i was five I've been going to Ireland for this day, it's a great chance to catch up with relatives or to just let your hair down and embrace the Irish pub scene. You'll never find as many musicians in Dublin on any other day and everyones up for fun!

The First Day Of Of Celebration, The 13th:
This is the first day of the five days of celebrating. unfortunately there's not much to do during the day so you have to hold out and go to the City hall once it gets dark and wait until it is stunningly lit up with projections of people who received the Honorary Freedom Of The City award. After that my best advice is to check out a local pub and warm yourself up listening to music and having a Guinness.

The Second Day Of Celebrations, The 14th
This Year the organisers have gotten shops to join in and be "greened" loads of locations will be painted green and performers will be placed everywhere to keep the vibe of St. Patrick's Day going. In my opinion this is a good day to go shopping as you can watch street performers then go to a shop, then watch more performers, then go to a shop again! There is also a funfair planned this year with a 150ft wheel giving you a view of the city!

The Third day Of Celebrations, The 15th
Once again there will be Green buildings everywhere and performers also! However the main attraction today is for kids! a treasure hunt is started at city hall and you must be registered at either 10 am or before 1pm. The treasure hunt was themed last year to pirates, and there was prizes for fastest best costume and so on. The game consists of this! you are given a quiz and must find the answers to it all over Dublin (a great way to find everything fast) and then return to city hall. There can only be four to a team and everything must be foot work no cars allowed! It is a good idea to bear in mind that the treasure hunt will last the best part of a day, it usually lasts about three or four hours, also this may be very hard for young kids! The prizes are very good if you win!

The Fourth Day Of Celebrations, The 16th
The city is still green and covered in performers, however todays main attraction is the "Big Day Out" a family orientated event in which Merrion square will be converted into a safari! it also boasts tap dancing turkeys which we leaves us wondering. The whole event is intended for the family and there will be acrobats and clowns and more performers! There will also be a BBQ for when the kids get hungry! Binoculars and knee high socks will help you blend in! There is also disabled toilets provided making this the party for everyone.

The Fifth And Final Day! The 17th
You can't miss the17th! its the biggest day of the festival and the last! It begins with the iconic St. Patrick's Day Parade then a "Céilí Mór" a big dance of traditional irish dancing. Don't worry it caters for complete beginners and the experianced will have you flying around the place in no time! This is a big chance to experiance traditional irish culture and its great fun! When your finished with all that the fun fair is still open for one last evening, this is a good time to take your nearest and dearest on the Bib Wheel and have a bit of a moment!

Guidelines To A Safe And Fun Holiday!
While its mostly fun and games there are still some things you have to remember when at the festival! Dublin is packed full of people for the festival so if you have kids keep a good eye on them, make sure you establish a spot that they must return to if they should unfortunately get lost! For a good view of the parade arrive early and don't move!!! This can be frustrating for kids but well worth the wait. Bring an umbrella! remember most things are outside so if the weather turns quickly (as it often does) you can have cover. People realise that the city is full of people, beware of quiet, dark streets and groups of young people! Its not all that bad, but always be aware that its hard to police such crowds. The police are known as the "gardi siochana" are "gardi" for short if you need help they wear easily identifiable suits or reflective jackets! If your lost they are the best person to ask for directions or if your near a taxi rank ask a taxi driver! I hope you have a great time and enjoy it as much as i do!!!