So have you ever wondered if St. Patrick's Day is celebrated with the same gusto in Ireland as in the US? The answer, after our through investigation is yes...& no!

We have been told by locals here that it is much different in a big city like the capital, Dublin, then in this small seaside town. A City University research professor from Dublin that we met on our flight expressed it this way, "people come to my city to do things and act in ways they would never do in theirs".

After a breakfast of a homemade scone we bought the night before, we went for our morning stroll in an almost vacant town. Only the groceries were open and elsewhere there were signs of preparation as parade barricades had been put in place and flags & pennants were everywhere.

We went off to tour the Cobh Heritage Center. A fascinating collection of Irish history from the collection of willing & unwilling indentured servants going back to the mid 1600s, to the Titanic & Lusitania. Cobh was the ill fated Titanic's final port and the Lusitania was torpedoed just 35 miles south of Cobh. It was eerie reading the actual letter of a Lusitania survivor, (1500 were lost), to a Cobh family who took her in after the attack.


The parade started at 1530 after lots of traditional music. Like any small town the parade had a reviewing stand filled with local officials, military officers, and clergy.












The parade was filled with community groups such as the Veteran's Group, Hospital Foundation, Comagie (Field Hockey) Club, Drama Group, Athletic Club, & Youth Rugby.




Then there were local businesses like The Harbor Boat Hire & Construction Contractors.


There was also a standoff between a Semi and a period actor on a bike. Let your mind wander!

Finally our research took us to several Irish Pubs. Ok, three were overflowing to the point that we could barely open the door. We finally had a pint to, "wet the shamrock" and toast St Patrick at the Titanic Pub.

Fair Winds & Quiet Anchorages,
Jeff & Wendy