St Paddy's Day!

St Patrick's Day was an event I had been looking forward to since arriving in Ireland. What an amazing opportunity to celebrate the Irish holiday by being in its birthplace. Since St Paddy's is the national holiday we were granted a nice long weekend, which in hindsight is probably to recuperate from the notorious merriment that takes place. 

St Paddy's for me was indeed memorable because I managed to jam my day full of activities far beyond sitting in a pub (though I will admit I spent several hours in one in the evening).  Two classmates and I had the great opportunity to participate in Limerick's parade with a group representing the Learning Hub where we all teach classes. We were recruited to play percussion and my inner child was pleased to be given a big bass drum. Our music had a Middle Eastern flair with the lyrics: "Snake in the grass, it will bite you in the..." Just a taste of typical Irish humour, which I think may be burned into my memory for all time. 

 This was the "Snake in the Grass" which was mysteriously made out of shopping carts.

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 Katie and I excited for our bass drum premiere.

Adam was even more excited to play the snare.

Hauling a big bass drum across town is not super easy, but the experience was incredible regardless. The streets were packed with spectators and I took the opportunity to offer kids along the edge a chance to play my drum. Every little face lit up when I handed over a mallet. The only downside was that I did not really get a chance to see the rest of the parade. As the floats were setting up I did manage to sneak a few pictures as I passed on my way to our 69th starting position. It was a big parade!

A gigantic version of St Patrick led the parade.

 

After the parade wrapped up, my classmate Adam and I headed to the local Hunt Museum to lead a Brazilian Samba drumming workshop. Running a drumming workshop was a new experience for me, one which was very noisy and required much patience. It is virtually impossible to place a drum in front of a child without them immediately wailing away on it. Adam and I pulled things together though, and within 45 minutes we had whipped together a short performance for expectant parents. It was a fun learning experience for both us and the children.

As I mentioned, I did manage to squeeze in some time in a pub and toast Sláinte (health) with some friends, of whom humorously none were Irish. After playing drums all afternoon I was so thankful to sit back and enjoy my pint of Guinness.

Hope you enjoyed your St Paddy's day!
Shannon