St. Patrick’s Day has always been a favorite holiday of mine. As a kid, I remember going to my (Extremely Irish Catholic) town’s parade and being enamored by the music, food, and enthusiasm that everyone seemed to have for this one day. As I grew older, March 17 became an occasion that called for excessive alcohol consumption and lots and lots of green. However, while holidays like Easter and Halloween somehow lost their spark as I grew up, St. Patrick’s Day never seemed to become lackluster. My senior year of high school, I went to NYC’s St. Patrick’s Day parade with my girlfriends and had an amazing time. Though I always held a personal vendetta against the month of March (long, boring, cold…don’t get me started), the 17th guarantees fun, and also shows a light at the end of the tunnel. From this day on, the weather is warmer, days longer, and people happier.
I think that my aforementioned St. Patrick’s Day spiel is part of the reason why March 17th, 2020 was such a disappointment. It was my first St. Patrick’s in college, and I was super excited to celebrate. Being that it was the beginning of the pandemic, I wasn’t able to comprehend how massive the impact of COVID-19 would be and was simply disappointed that I couldn’t celebrate with my friends at Holy Cross. The next year, I was in the middle of a COVID scare at school too and wasn’t able to properly celebrate. While those two years were definitely disappointing, being able to celebrate (finally) for the first time in college, and in Dublin of all places, was an unforgettable experience.
When people say that St. Patrick’s Day is way bigger in America than it is in Dublin… that’s partly true. The city was undoubtedly filled with tourists this week, but I think that’s part of what made it so enjoyable. Everyone in the city was there to celebrate and let loose after what felt like two years of walking on eggshells. I was able to celebrate with all of my friends abroad (and some lovely visitors), and we all watched the parade in Dublin’s city center. Everyone, decked out in green, became united as one. While these past two years have definitely been quieter, 2022 brought celebration and time spent with friends far and wide. Although Holy Cross definitely has some top-notch St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, I won’t ever forget the one I spent in Ireland!