Quick question for Irish people

[Meesh77]

I’d like to send my DH and his father to celebrate St Patrick’s day in Cork next year. My FIL is Irish by birth and he’s sick, so I thought this would be something they can do to make memories together.

I can see that St Patrick’s day falls on a Sunday. My plan was to pay for them to go Saturday - Monday, but the flights don’t arrive until about 8pm on the Saturday.

My question is, will the Saturday be the main celebratory evening, or will that be on the Sunday as that’s March 17th? I’m guessing most people would prefer to celebrate on the saturday night but I just need some advice on it so I don’t mess up and have them landing in Cork too late.

TIA.

I would keep well away from the crowds and noise of St Patrick's day. Any other weekend would be nicer for me.

Not Irish so can't answer. Could you have a quick google of pubs in the area and see what night their events fall on. Or put in 'things to do in cork st Patrick's day' and see what comes up?

It will be celebrated on the 17th and then seeing as it falls on the Sunday there will be a bank holiday on the Monday. St Patrick's weekend wouldn't be be the best time to come over for an elderly man. He really might not enjoy it. I suppose it depends if he is a pub person or not.

Did op say her FIL is elderly? He could be 50...

Monday will be a bank holiday so Sunday and Sunday night will be the main celebration. I hope they enjoy it.

Also, the crowds aren't that mad.

The celebrations will be on Sunday. There will be some who start on the Saturday as it’s a 3 day weekend and will make the most of it but main stuff will all be on the Sunday.

Just go to Cheltenham Races instead, it’s an Irish enclave in March.

If you are hiring a car I would recommend you stay just outside of Cork in the beautiful village of Kinsale. Google it. Although hotels might l be hard to get at a reasonable price for st Partrick’s weekend. It can also be cold in mid March. Sorry to put you off that weekend also. May/June might be better.

Just go to Cheltenham Races instead, it’s an Irish enclave in March.

She wants to send them to Ireland! Not just England with some Irish people around!

Just go to Cheltenham Races instead, it’s an Irish enclave in March

Because that’s the same thing....

Main day and night would be Sunday as Monday is a public holiday.
Personally I avoid st Patrick's day in pubs and on the streets of any large towns or cities. Too many tourists and drunken idiots and am not a fan of parades. There will be a buzz about if they can tolerate the above. I'm vey intolerant.

How ill is he? What does he like doing? St Patrick’s weekend can be quite hectic, tourists all over, pubs very crowded etc.

Cork city or county? Would make a big difference in terms of crowds and entertainment etc. Can be pretty cold and wet in March too!

I second Kinsale, it's a beautiful, chilled out town and they have their own wee parade on St Pats

Thanks for your replies. He’s 70 and he has a life-limiting Illness but is currently well. He’s definitely a pub person and so is DH. Neither of them objects to going into a town centre pub here in the uk on a Saturday night (old man type pubs!).

I’m thinking the centre of Cork, he has relatives there (a cousin). He is originally from Kildare but i know DH has always wanted to go to Cork, and it seems opportune.

Will it be full of pissed idiots?

Yes it will be full of pissed idiots on a long Paddy's weekend! Def try Kinsale or West Cork instead. Somewhere like Baltimore or Skibereen or Killarney in Kerry.

Yep, it will. I've left Cork City at 9pm on Paddy's Day when we'd planned to stay out for the night because the pubs were so jammed and the crowd was so rowdy.

Sunday is the main day for celebration. Try Blarney. It's only 15 minutes from Cork City. It will be quieter and there's a little parade.

Great ideas thank you!

Paddys day in any city centre can get messy later on at night but during the day (parade usually about midday or one) but if they had a few drinks or a pub crawl and home around 5 or 6 pm you'll avoid the worst of the drunkards and they'll still have had a good few hours to enjoy pints.

Celebrations are always on the 17th whatever day it falls on, and is a bank holiday so if it falls on a weekend, the Monday becomes the bank holiday in lieu.

I've never experienced St. Patrick's Day in Cork but I've experienced it in Dublin and it's not for the faint-hearted. The pubs are packed from early in the day and things can turn nasty. A friend was dragged into a phone box and beaten up a few years back. Monday is a bank holiday so there will be unrestrained drinking on Sunday because there's no need to get up early for work on Monday. I guess if your DH's cousin is a local then he'll know where to go and where to avoid. Last year the parade in Cork city ran from 1 p.m. - 2.30 p.m. Here's some information from last year www.corkstpatricksfestival.ie/eventswhatson/theparade/

Kinsale (and West Cork in general) is really beautiful so I'd recommend a visit there. But depends on whether you want to hire a car or not. As a previous poster said, March can be cold and rainy so you probably won't be seeing it at its best. Having said that, it can be cold and rainy in July and August too .

Thank you!