St. Patrick’s Day: Five unexpected places to find a bit of blarney
Boston, Chicago and New York City have a lock on the big St. Patrick’s Day parades, but there’s more going on around the country -- and the world. Look for glowing green landmarks and parades today (Monday) at these unexpected locations.
The global glow: The Great Wall of China, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland Paris, the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, the pyramids in Egypt, the London Eye, and newcomer Whistler ski resort in Canada will be bathed in green lights on Monday night. Why? To spread a bit of Irish cheer. It’s all part of Tourism Ireland‘s fifth Global Greening Initiative, which has assembled an impressive number of landmarks to go green.
Kansas City, Mo.: Yay, K.C., for holding a the March of the Irish parade on St. Patrick’s Day! Its proud green tradition started in 1873 when local Hibernians “marched like soldiers, justly proud of their appearance,” from St. Patrick’s Church, the local press reported. The parade was revived 100 years later and will take to downtown streets at 11 a.m. Monday.
Savannah, Ga: Kiss me I’m from Savannah? OK, this likely isn’t unexpected for Southerners in the know, but Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day parade tradition dates to the early 19th century. About 600,000 are expected to turn out to see floats, the Irish Air Corps, Clydesdale horses, pipe bands and marchers march through the city’s beautiful historic district starting at 10:15 a.m.
Montserrat, West Indies: The Emerald Island, as it’s called, is where indentured Irish servants went to celebrate their freedom in the 17th century. So, yes, expect to find Ryans and Murphys on the island that decrees St. Patrick’s Day a national holiday. It also coincides with the commemoration of a slave uprising on the same day in 1768, so events such as the Freedom Run/Walk, National Heritage Day Fair and parade mark both with a calypso twist too.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The Irish Village claims to be “the only real Irish experience in the heart of Dubai.” No argument here. The Irish-style pub opens Monday with free music by the Logues, the Maplejacks and DJ Marky Mark. And yes, you can knock back more than one Guinness to celebrate.
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