St Patrick’s Day during a pandemic – how people celebrated this year

Mar 18, 2020

A shuttered Irish pub is pictured on St. Patrick's Day following the outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City, New York, U.S., March 17, 2020.

With regular St Patrick's Day celebrations brought to a halt, people found creative ways to make the day memorable. Image: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

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Social distancing measures have led to many parties, parades and celebrations being cancelled.
People have posted videos of their makeshift celebrations online to help bring people together, virtually.
Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar praised people’s resolve and told the population: “we are with you”.

With annual St Patrick’s Day parades and events cancelled due to coronavirus, revellers found creative and unusual ways to celebrate.

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Farmers mucked in

Some people turned their farms into parade grounds, attracting thousands of online spectators.

Of course, when it comes to marching, four legs are better than two.

Children got crafty

An arts and crafts competition sponsored by news website TheJournal.ie attracted entries from children across Ireland.

Artwork created to mark St. Patrick's Day Image: TheJournal.ie

This button-covered picture of a traditional Irish dancer was made by an 11-year-old with an eye for detail.

Five-year-old Emma McKenna and two-year-old Sarah McKenna are bringing the luck of the Irish to Castlegregory in Co Kerry

Bringing the luck of the Irish to Castlegregory in Co Kerry. Image: TheJournal.ie

Colourful window designs featured flags, shamrocks and an occasional leprechaun.

People rang bells and held virtual parades

A bishop called for church bells to ring out across the country at 11am, to express solidarity amid the pandemic.

With many Irish pubs closed and events cancelled, several musicians, DJs and community groups gave online performances, including fiddler Colm Mac Con Iomaire, who played live on Facebook.

Farms weren’t the only places holding parades. Using creative camera angles and even more creative staging work, this virtual parade features clay models.

More Stormtroopers featured in this video than most St Patrick’s Day parades, but the animators knew how to bring a smile to the faces of their online audience.

The world turned green

The Empire State Building lit up in green for St Patrick’s Day.

The Empire State Building was among the buildings lit up in green for St Patrick’s Day. Image: Reuters/ Jeenah Moon

Alongside online parades, the tradition of turning some of the world’s notable landmarks and buildings green to mark St Patrick’s Day continued.

New York’s Empire State Building, the Cristo Rei statue in Portugal’s capital Lisbon and Niagara Falls were among this year’s selected sites.

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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in ministerial briefing surrounding the coronavirus

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in a ministerial briefing about coronavirus Image: RTÉ

Back in Ireland, St Patrick’s Day 2020 saw Taoiseach Leo Varadkar give a ministerial broadcast in which he assured the population: “we are with you”.

On a day usually characterized by parades, crowds and parties, he called for the public’s continued help in observing social distancing measures.

“We are asking people to come together as a nation by staying apart,” he said.

“Let it be said that when things were at their worst, we were at our best.”

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