St Patrick’s Day 2020 - 10 ways to safely celebrate the Irish Saint’s Feast Day during the pandemic

1 Watch ‘Darby O’Gill and the Little People’

A magical story that has left generations spellbound, Disney’s film stars Belfast actor Albert Sharpe as the charming wily spinner of yarns Darcy O’Gill himself, with Janet Munro as his daughter Katie and Sean Connery as Michael McBride and, of course, Jimmy O’Dea as the fiery diminutive leader of the faery folk King Brian of Knocknashee. The film has some stunning visuals, songs and music, and has charmed and terrified (that banshee) people since it was first screened 61 years ago. And there are some great lines it, such as ‘Pony Sugrue, you’re blue moulded for want of a beating...’

2 Watch ‘I Am Patrick’ on Netflix

A new addition to Netflix’s huge array of films and TV series, ‘I Am Patrick’ charts the true story of how Patrick was taken by Irish raiders from his home in Britain and brought to Ireland as a slave, escaping and eventually returning home after a calling to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity. The documentary includes dramatic re-enactments from the life of the patron saint of Ireland.

3 Get to know St Patrick in his own words

A rare text, St Patrick’s self-penned Confessio (Confession), written towards the end of his life, is one of the earliest Irish manuscripts to have survived. He describes how his life was shaped by his experiences first of slavery and later as a Bishop in Ireland with a deep devotion to God. It is a vivid and deeply human short work telling of the challenges and hurdles he encountered in what was to him at first a foreign land, and of how after escaping slavery and after returning home to ‘Bannavem Taburniae’ he received a calling from God upon hearing the cries of the people in the ‘Wood of Foclut’ urging him to return. ‘Although I am imperfect in many ways, I want my brothers and relations to know what I’m really like, so that they can see what it is that inspires my life’ he writes. A second text, St Patrick’s Letter to Coroticus is also attributed to the Saint, and is written to an Irish chieftain or leader who has slaughtered / enslaved newly converted Christians. You can read the full Confession here: www.confessio.ie/etexts/confessio_english#4 Learn some Irish sayings

Slainté there.... there are some amazing Irish words of wisdom, many of these phrases and proverbs passed down through generations. Famed for their wit and wisdom, the land of saints and scholars has always had a way with words. Some of the best phrases include Is maith an scáthán súil charad (A friend’s eye is a good mirror), Giorraíonn beirt bóthar (Two people shorten a road) and... for the day that’s in it.... Is minic a bhris beál duine a shrón (It’s often that a person’s mouth broke his nose.)

Here’s a links to some others: www.daltai.com/proverbs/cat02.htm%23section09/5 Listen to Irish songs non-stop

A St Patrick’s Day party is what you make it, and you don’t need a roomful or barful of people, or indeed anyone, at all to get it started. Why not get out your albums by Irish artists or check out a playlist online or on YouTube and pump up the volume. And while you are at it, check out some of the new wave of Irish artists leading the revival. Here’s a massive list of artists to check out, and there’s many more besides: The Undertones, The Dubliners, The Pogues, Horslips, Plaxty, the Wolfe Tones, Saint Sister, Hozier, Sinead O’Connor, U2, Mary O’Hara, Daniel O’Donnell, Van Morrison, Lavengro, Luke Kelly, Phil Coulter, Damien Rice, Dana, Christy Moore, Bronagh Gallagher, That Petrol Emotion, Damien Dempsey, The Script, Thin Lizzy Snow Patrol, Nadine Coyle, Maija Sofia, Conor McGinty, The Cranberrie, The Corrs, Clannad, Rory Gallagher, Fighting With Wire, The Chieftains, Fontaines DC, Mick Flannery, Máiréad Carlin, Dolores Keane, Soak, Mary Black, Triggerman, Joseph Leighton, Thundering Down, Rebecca Harkin, Horslips, Foy Vance, The Boomtown Rats, Jafaris, Girl Band, Westlife, The Coronas, The Saw Doctors, Rainy Boy Sleep, Niall Horan, Lisa Hannigan, Donal Lunny, Kodaline, the Coronas, Stiff Little Fingers, My Bloody Valentine, Hothouse Flowers, Keith Harkin, Damien McGinty, Celtic Thunder, Boyzone, Kíla, Altan, The High Kings, BellX1, Enya, The Frames, Philomena Begley, Big Tom, Imedla May, The Blizzards, Touts and Lankum.

6 Hail glorious Saint Patrick, patron Saint of Ireland...

‘On Erin’s green valleys look down with your love’..... Which brings us to the song of Saint Patrick himself. Hail Glorious St Patrick is traditionally sung by Irish communities in Ireland and across the world at Mass on March 17. Here’s a link to Daniel O’Donnel singing the song on Youtube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM4BhvqKxME7 Grow your own spuds, shamrocks and shillelaghs

With many having more time on our hands at home these days, why not try your hand or brush up on your gardening skills. From Malin Head to Mizen head, Ireland’s temperate climate means that it is fertile ground for a surprising variety of fruit, veg, herbs and plants. So if you can get your thoroughly washed hands on some compost, why not order some seeds and watch the magic happen. Planting flowers, fruit and veg also helps us reconnect with nature, which is proven to be beneficial for mental health. Native trees, shrubs are also great for helping the environment as they absorb and store carbon and are brilliant habitats and foodsources for our wildlife. And the best about it is you don’t even need a garden to start growing, just a pot, some seeds and some soil or compost. So why not go green this St Patrick’s Day.

8 Dust down the old board games from the attic

If you are housebound today and trying to find new ways to entertain yourselves, children or other adults in your home, why not switch off the TV and the computer, put your phone away, wrestle the console from whoever has it, and have a hunt around to see if you have any old board games or colouring in books that you can dust off. Board games in previous generations were always a great way to connect with your families across generations and to help engage children in an activity that was not virtual. They could be again.

9 Get the dusters out or a Spring clean

We are all more aware these days of the need to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe, so it might be the ideal time to get the basin and cleaning products lined up and to go at it with a deep clean of your immediate surroundings. Creating a clean environment in the home is a great way to minimise the risk of germs and wiping down door handles, surfaces and keeping floors clean, along with frequent hand washing for 20 seconds at a time and observing the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ advice for using tissues for coughs and sneezes, helps you keep yourself and your nearest and dearest safe in the coming weeks.

10 And finally..... Check in on loved ones and neighbours at home and abroad

Irish communities are known for having the gift off the gab and for our close ties. That is why this day will be particularly hard for the Irish diaspora and those away from home today, as well as those closer to home who are living on their own. Why not give them a wee call, make sure they are OK, wish them a happy St Patrick’s Day, or send them an e-card, a message by text, Facebook, Twitter, just to let them know you are thinking off them. And why not raise a toast to each other across the world. Whether your drink of choice is a Guinness, a Muff Gin, a craft beer or a Bushmills or Powers, or a good strong cup of tea, why not raise a toast to the Irish community. Happy St Patrick’s Day, wherever you may be!