Around the world, on March 17th, almost everyone, whether or not there is a shamrock in their heritage or a drop of green blood in their veins, will more than likely be touched by St Patrick's Day.

Many will find a pub and down a Guinness (or three!). Others may join a parade, attend mass, or feast on soda bread and other Irish fare.

---

What is it about Ireland?

Whenever anyone asks this, almost everyone says it is the people - and their quirkiness.

Want to know what is it like – read this......

But the soft green countryside is also a drawcard. 

WATCH these videos to get an idea of what people dream about:

Discover Ireland   

St Patrick's Day 2014

Northern Ireland

---

 There's nothing like a warm Irish welcome

While visiting Ireland you'll see this - céad míle fáilte – on signs and tourist information everywhere because it typifies the way the Irish love to treat their visitors. Translated from the Irish it means 'a hundred thousand welcomes'.

The hospitality at Ballylickey Manor House, in Cork, has won many fans. An exclusive luxury Bed and Breakfast, it has been the home of the Franco-Irish Graves family for four generations. With superb Georgian architecture, this secluded manor house lies hidden among the rugged inlets of the majestic Bantry Bay.

Ballylickey House has the air of a beautiful family home, cherished and nurtured over the centuries. Unique gardens and cosy cottages in the grounds offer a relaxing and peaceful ambience. Within easy reach of towns such as Killarney, Kenmare, Kinsale and Cork it offers the perfect base to explore South West Ireland in comfort and serenity. 

And if you're wondering about the many places in Ireland with 'Bally' in the name – it simply means 'homestead or settlement'!

---

Good honest fare

Not far away, there is another good warm welcome from the Allen family at Ballymaloe. Myrtle and Ivan Allen bought Ballymaloe in 1948 from the Simpson family. The Simpsons were known in the area for their parties and Myrtle and Ivan had in fact met at a dinner at Ballymaloe a few years previously.

Ivan had wide farming interests, growing tomatoes and cucumbers in glasshouses and mushrooms in dark wooden sheds at nearby Kinoith as well as managing the orchards there. However he longed for a mixed farm and when Ballymaloe came up for sale he decided to buy it. 

Myrtle and Ivan spent the next sixteen years farming and bringing up their children. The farm was a success producing milk,butter,cream, eggs, home raised pork and veal as well as fruit and vegetables. Myrtle became highly knowledgeable about cooking their produce and began writing a cookery column in the Irish Farmers Journal. 

In 1964 Myrtle, encouraged by Ivan decided to open Ballymaloe as a restaurant. The children were growing up and she could see a different future ahead of her. Her aim was to emulate the best Irish Country House cookery. So Myrtle scrubbed down the kitchen table and with the help of two local women she began. They cooked on an aga at first and she was helped front of house by Ivan and their daughter Wendy. Their shepherd Joe Cronin ran the bar. 

The food was good and the restaurant flourished. They cooked using their own produce- unpasteurised milk and cream, veal, pork , homemade sausages and black puddings, herbs, fruit and vegetables. Ivan went to Ballycotton every day for the fresh catch. Local beef and lamb came from Mr Cuddigan, the butcher in Cloyne. Myrtle also encouraged local farmers wives to bring in their surplus produce and blackberries, elderflowers and watercress were brought in by children for pocket money. 

Although times have changed at Ballymaloe, the essential spirit of the place is rooted in these improvised beginnings and in the relationship of the farm to the table which underlies the elegance of Irish Country House cooking and now the original home functions as a guesthouse and Myrtle Allen has just turned 90!

Picture yourself dining at Ballymaloe.

---

Learn to cook Irish food

When Darina Allen and her brother Rory O'Connell opened the Ballymaloe Cookery School in 1983, they could hardly have known that it would grow to become one of the most-important food-teaching institutions not just in Ireland but in the world. But in the three decades since, the school has been at the forefront of important food trends that are common today, including the slow food movement and the push for chefs to use locally grown produce. The school has also given a voice to some of the most-important thinkers about food, including Alice Waters, Madhur Jaffrey and Marcella Hazan. 

 

---

An Irish Guide

We've heard how hard it is to find your way around Ireland, but these guides, originally made to fit in your glovebox, now also work on your mobile phone. The Irish Food Guide is the ideal way to find an thing and everything conncted with food in Ireland. Having used these guides, we know they are clear and concise and honest, and will lead you to the best places to eat, shop and stay in the country.

Behind them are John McKenna and Sally McKenna who, in 1991, began their research into Irish food, giving up their Dublin flat, and splurging on a broken-down Renault 4. They set off around Ireland to discover what they hoped would be an exciting food culture, and John has written about Irish food ever since, winning numerous awards for his food writing. He is regarded as a leading commentator on Irish food.

Sally McKenna is a photographer, cookery editor, film-maker and the publisher of the McKennas' Guides, working from her office in West Cork. She began her writing career has been wide-pranging and now she also blogs about wild food and foraging and contributes to various newspapers.

WATCH: John and Sally McKennas' Irish film channel.

 

---

Kinsale Gourmet Festival, 2014

For the past 37 years, this festival has marked the coming together of all that is good in food and dining in the scenic coastal town of Kinsale in West Cork.

This year the 38th Kinsale Gourmet Festival from October 10-12, is a celebration of all the culinary delights that Kinsale has to offer. Whatever you do, don't miss the infamous 'Mad Hatters' Taste of Kinsale where in excess of 500 revellers participate in one great party starting at 11.30am and finishing at a nite club in the afternoon! In between, they get to indulge in food and while on a walking tour of Kinsale. Guests are invited to wear a Mad Hat of any description with a competition being held for the best and most inventive.??

The renowned Fruits de Mer Luncheon provides shellfish galore to patrons including lobsters, oysters, prawns, crab and mussels. Visitors come from far and wide to attend the sell-out weekend and are never disappointed by the mixture of great food and superb fun on offer.??Other exciting events over the weekend include a celebrity chef cook-off; and an eight-course degustation black tie dinner showcasing the best of West Cork Produce and champagnes from the festival sponsors. ??See website for more details or visit the Facebook page.

---

 

St Pat’s day 2014 around the world

No one does a good old 'knees-up' better than the Irish. Most places there will be a parade, and always the Guinness will be flowing and the craic (fun) will be full-on. See where some of the parades will be in 2014, and what is planned.

++++

Sydney, Australia

 

Get ready for Sydney St Patrick's Day ?Parade & Family Day on March 16.

Here are some handy maps of the Parade route and layout of the Family Day at Hyde Park. Remember, there is pre-parade entertainment outside Sydney Town Hall from around 10.15am. The Parade kicks off at 12pm until 1pm and makes its way to Hyde Park, where the Family Day event goes from 1pm until 6.30pm. There will be plenty of food and lots of music and live entertainment. Plus there is a Family area full of rides, children's entertainment, fairy floss, petting zoo, and much, much more.

++++

New York, USA

The NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade is the  country’s oldest and proudest Irish tradition, marching for the first time more than 250 years ago, on March 17, 1762 - fourteen years before the Declaration of Independence.

Today, the NYC Saint Patrick’s Day Parade is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For 253 years, we have marched up 5th Ave. thanks entirely to the generous support of people like you.

++++

London, UK

The London St Patrick's Day Parade and Festival is now in its 13th year and attracts over 100,000 people. It has become a destination event, which showcases the best of Irish music, song dance, culture and arts. Accessible to all audiences, the festival aims to transfer the experience of Irish culture to all Londoners and visitors.

Organised by the Mayor of London with the support of many Irish businesses, the festival works closely with many Irish cultural organisations, musicians and artists. Held on the Sunday closest to 17 March, the 2014 event will take place on Sunday 16 March in the iconic Trafalgar Square.

The parade celebrates both the deep roots of Irish communities in London and also the present-day energy and vibrance of Irishness in London and beyond.

The theme for this year’s parade is ‘World of Dance’ and we invited all London dance groups to come and help us celebrate the rich heritage of dance within Irish culture. The parade will feature spectacular pageantry, wonderful floats, marching bands from across the UK, sports clubs and Irish dancing schools.

 

Canada

In some cities, notably Toronto and Montreal, large scale St Patrick's Day parades are held, often on the Sunday closest to March 17. The parade in Montreal has been held every year since 1824. However, the first recorded celebration of St Patrick's Day was in 1759 by Irish soldiers serving with the British army following their conquest of part of New France, a French colony in North America. In some places there are Irish cultural events. For instance, the Irish Association of Manitoba organizes a three-day festival of Irish culture in the week of St Patrick's Day.

Read what happened last year.....

Watch some videos from parades in other countries..... and have a brilliant St Patrick's Day wherever you are!!