St Patricks day in Dublin/ Saint Patricks day parade
The legend of Saint Patrick was meant to have banished snakes from Ireland, Saint Patrick once a pagan from Wales but was captured by pirates and brought to Ireland.

Saint Patricks Day Parade Background
The Irish holiday of Saint Patricks day is on the same day of the Saints feast day which is also thought to be the day of his death,
The Parade was started by Irish immigrants in 1737 in Boston, the first Saint Patricks day Parade was in New York in 1766.
The Festival is a celebration of everything Irish, from ancient folklore, to modern day Ireland.
 

Parade 2009

• 2009 St Patricks day parade will start from the 12th March Thursday to 17th March which is a Tuesday, the 17th has the main parade and is the most active of the Paddys day Fetival.
• Saint Patricks day also referred to by the Irish as Paddys day happens on the 17th of March every year, and the Irish celebrate the patron saint of Ireland  who is of course Saint Patrick, There are hundreds of festivels throughout the Island of Ireland
• Over recent years the fesitivel has grown from just a one day event to an entire week of fesitivities of partying , drink, music and a large international contingent who all get into the swing of things , the Irish like to say that the festivel is great craic, which means quite literally great fun.
• The largest festival is in Dublin which is the largest by far in Ireland, Paddys day is also the day where Irish consume the most alcohol as it’s a national holiday and a lot of people relax and wind down having a beer or ten,  as you will see the Irish really are in a party mood on Paddys day.

Tips for saint Patricks day Parade and partying in Dublin.

• Some discos/ nightspots charge in on Patricks day, I think its better to look around and ask the locals wheres  free, as during this time the towns are so busy some night spots charge a premium to enter, and I think that most of these places are probably not the best, so do look around, most of the best bars on the North side are on the quays.
• The parade in Dublin starts around 12 noon, from my experience the best spots can be taken early, now if your small and some big guy with his kid on his shoulders gets in front of you , it can be quite annoying as of course you wont be able to see the parade, some people climb on phone boxes, but the gardai tell people to get down, so if you really want to get a good view come around 11am or earlier. Thought there can be some pretty cold March days, possibly rain in Ireland wymsical climate, so do not forget to wrap up well or bring some rain clothes.
• The pubs around the parade are jam packed, I would always try to go for a pub off the pararde route as sometimes you need to que for a drink, I don’t like doing that personally but if you don’t mind the jammed packed Paddys day atmosphere, go ahead.
• Book accommodation in advance, ok yes I am putting an accommodation link in this article, but seriously people book the best most central spots a years in advance, so if you want to get saint Patricks day accommodation I recommend to book your hotel, bed and breakfast or apartment well in advance.

I have listed some places to visit on Patricks day.

• Cafe En Seine, Great bar, good international crowd, I believe you may have to pay in on Paddys day though. This is on Dawson street,
• Dakota, free entrence so worth a try, have been here on a good few Saint Patrick days.
• Sinnotts Pub, just off Wicklow street, Great Guinness on Saint Patricks day.

Parade route
Saint Patricks day Parade in Pictures