A Guide to Surviving St. Patrick’s Day
It’s March 16th or as I like to call it, St. Patrick’s Day Eve. If you haven’t celebrated St. Paddy’s Day yet, you’ve probably heard a lot about how everyone spends the day drinking Guinness and singing Irish folk songs. I’m not going to confirm nor deny this stereotype, but I will say not ALL of us drink Guinness.
Now I’m not going to bore you with a list of facts about St. Patrick or tell you why we Irish celebrate the day… I’m going to provide you with something much more beneficial. Here’s my guide to surviving March 17th, whether you’re Irish or not (let’s face it, everyone’s a little bit Irish on Paddy’s Day).
PACE YOURSELF
This is possibly the most important rule. As soon as you open your eyes on Saturday, the festivities will be in full swing. Think you’re too early? Then you’re probably late. St. Patrick’s Day is a full day event and you do NOT want to be that person running home at 4 o’clock. Think of it as a marathon not a sprint, drink water in between pints. And do not under any circumstances, judge someone for having a beer with breakfast. It’s all part of the day’s craic!
RUGBY
Not sure where to start? Watch the rugby! This could be quite awkward considering Ireland are playing England but I’m going to brush past that. It’s just a game, right? Anyways…
PARADE
There’s nothing like a St. Patrick’s Day parade to help you forget all about the rugby match. Don’t forget your umbrella, no doubt it will be bucketing it down.
YOU’RE IRISH? HOW CONVENIENT
I get it. It’s St. Patrick’s Day, the atmosphere has gone to your head and before you know it you’re claiming to be an eighth Irish. Everyone’s guilty of this but it’s fine, we don’t mind your white lies – the more the merrier in my opinion. However, I will offer you a piece of advice: if you’re going to claim to be Irish, at least know a little about St. Patrick (he drove the snakes out of Ireland).
GREEN, GREEN AND MORE GREEN
Now’s the time to raid your wardrobe for something green. You will stick out like a sore thumb if you turn up without as little as a Shamrock painted on your face. Bonus points if you add green food colouring to your beer.
SHAMROCK OR CLOVER?
Know the difference! If you’re going to go all out for the whole shebang you should know Shamrock’s have three leaves, a Clover has four. Don’t be that one eejit who runs about waving a Clover all day.
MARCH 16TH AND 18TH
These tips are self-explanatory: get a good night’s sleep tonight and above all, stock up on your hangover cure of choice for Sunday. Lucozade, paracetamol, greasy breakfast food/fry, shower gel (lots of it), hair of the dog… whatever floats your boat.
So that’s my guide to surviving St. Paddy’s Day! If that’s too much to remember then just have a drink, enjoy the day and do not mention leprechauns!