St. Patrick’s Day in Limerick

By:

Allie Bacholl

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Allie Bacholl

<i>Home Institution</i>: University of Wisconsin, Madison <i>Expected Graduation Year</i>: 2025 <i>Academic Major / Minor</i>: Computer Engineering / Folklore <i>Destination</i>: Limerick, Ireland <i>"Hello" in your host country's language</i>: Dia dhuit <i>Program Provider</i>: University of Limerick <i>Demographics</i>: First-Generation College Student <i>Future Career Goals</i>: Pursue a career in computer hardware design <i>Top Three Study Abroad Goals</i>: Meet new people and learn about different cultures; learn about Irish folklore; learn how to travel abroad for the first time

This last Friday was St. Patrick’s Day. In Ireland it is a bank holiday, so I had off for all my classes. While I did not go to the parade in Dublin, I did get to see the parade in Limerick. I found a lot of the costumes to be very elaborate and pretty. Below is a picture of one such costume. Additionally, there is an International Band Championship parade that happens in Limerick on the Sunday after St. Patrick’s Day. It rained throughout the whole parade, but it was fun to see bands play from all over. Afterword’s, some of the bands played at Arthur’s Quay. Below is a picture of a band in the parade. Overall, St. Patrick’s Day does not seem to be celebrated that differently than it is in the USA. I did see a lot more shamrocks than I usually do since many people in the parade had them pinned to their shirts. Ireland did get a lot busier this weekend however since I lot of people travel here to celebrate.