LaLa's Adventures Abroad

St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin is a fun-filled event with the unexpected at every turn! I am very lucky to have an amazing view of the parade route from the apartment, but I decided (quite wisely it turned out) to adventure into the crowd. After a short walk to a post on the parade route, I positioned myself in a great location and found, after just 30 minutes or so, that I was surrounded by people….mostly Americans! It was actually hysterical as I found myself answering logistics questions and parade route information, even though this was my first parade for St Patty’s day in Ireland. I guess I am starting to look “local”.

The Parade is actually the final event in a 4 day celebration. In Ireland, this is a National Holiday, so it does not matter which day of the week it lands on. This year, it was on a Tuesday with MOST of the folks on the job site taking Monday off as well. Parade began with the “Grand Marshall” – a female social media influencer who I was not familiar with…and proceeded with the more predictable USA Bands (Ohio State, Cedar Rapids, Arizona, etc) as well as a few Irish military bands (including the Dublin Fire Brigade Band)and a Scottish band. The military and Garda (police) had great presence with everyone wearing fresh shamrocks but some of the more flavorful floats and participants are highlighted below!

The Tea Party! These are potential Halloween Costumes in my opinion!

I enjoyed the Dancing Shamrocks!

The Book of Kells made an appearance!

Fish and Chips!

The Float and display that stole the show by far was the Gay Pride float…..it kind of speaks for itself! This float had a singer, dancers and amazing energy!

The Ironic Parade Story for 2026: I noticed that the parade route across from me seemed to have a lot of people/families with children living with intellectual challenges and neurodiverse personalities. I also noticed that every time a band or noisy parade entry came along, the performers would fall silent while passing this section of the parade route. I realized I had found my way to the “Relaxed Parade Space”, of course! This part of the Parade was designed to cater to neurodivergent individuals and those with sensory processing differences.

I also celebrated the weekend with a wonderful concert at the National Concert Hall featuring The Kilfenora Céilí Band and Guests. Website: The Kilfenora Ceili Band

This is an Irish band that featured mostly traditional Celtic music and I learned a lot about the differences between jigs, reels and hornpipes! Also, in Irish music, a tune is played but not sung, a song is sung…..

As you can tell, I am really trying to immerse myself into those things I cannot experience outside of Ireland and having a “craic” along the way! (“Craic” (pronounced “crack”) is an Irish term for fun, lively conversation, and  enjoyable social experiences.)