St Patrick's day (AKA Paddy's Day) is this Sunday and it is going to be carnage. For those of you that are not familiar with Paddy's Day, it is named after Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. Traditional Irish families would make their way to the church in the morning and then the real celebrations begin in the afternoon.
While some of our readers may not be so familiar with Paddy's Day, almost certainly you will have been inside an Irish* pub. There's one in just about every country in the world, and this is where the real celebrations take place, often with big green hats.
How will you be celebrating St Patrick's Day? Most pubs in Oxford will be busy, but the most central "Irish" pub is O'Neills Irish Bar on George Street.
*Note that Irish pubs out of Ireland are often no different from any other drinking establishment, except that they have a few pictures of Oscar Wilde and James Joyce hung on the wall and a tap that pours Guinness beer.
