Every March 17, millions of people around the world celebrate the Saint Patrick’s day. The anniversary is a classic celebration of Irish culture, featuring the color green and the famous shamrock as a national symbol. In Argentina, as a curious fact, there is the fifth largest Irish community in the worldthe largest in a non-English speaking region.
The saint was a Catholic missionary and preacher born in Scotland at the end of the 4th century, who came to Ireland after escaping from slavery and it was there where he began his religious journey. Tradition tells that he used the “Shamrock”, famous three-leaf clover, to explain the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spiritand thus became one of the symbols of the Irish Catholic Church.
According to the legend, after having founded the first church and having performed several miracles, St. Patrick He began to gain followers very quickly. Faced with this situation, the pagan priests sent an army of goblins to bother and prevent the new parishioners from praying. Saint Patrick confronted them and with the words “in the name of Almighty God, I expel you, impure spirits”, he managed to banish them and end their threats.
For this reason, the image of Saint Patrick is also used to this day as protection against these legendary characters. The comical anecdote of the celebration is that it is said that every March 17 the leprechauns come out of their hiding places to perform pranks and all kinds of misdeeds.
Argentina has the fifth largest Irish community, largely thanks to significant Irish and Celtic immigration at the beginning of the 20th century. The country thus incorporated Irish culture, gastronomy and customs. It is estimated that by 1869 there were 5,246 Irish living in the Province of Buenos Aires and that, during the entire 19th century, around 20,000 arrived. Today, it is estimated that there are 150,000 Irish descendants in Argentina.
In our region, great festivities are held in the streets and parks of cities like Buenos Aires. Beyond the community, many others join the green celebrations, and experience this date as an opportunity to meet and celebrate with friends. The options to celebrate the meeting are varied and attractive.
The Recoleta headquarters of Buller, Located at Junin 1747, it will dress in green, from 6:00 p.m. until closing, those who attend with some green clothing will be able to obtain a pint of beer of their choice at no cost. Recommended beers include the Scottish-style “Sinfonía” ale and the German “Vendetta” Pilsen.
The legendary killkenny, At the corner of Marcelo T. de Alvear 399, it is the classic Irish pub in the lower part of Buenos Aires, it reopened its doors at the end of last year after the pandemic. In this area of the Retiro neighborhood, San Patricio was celebrated for the first time in Buenos Aires in a massive and thunderous way. The attendees will remember that 20 years ago the area had almost a dozen Irish pubs and Killkenny stood out for being the place that offers whiskeys Jameson and the traditional Guinness Dublin Black.
On the Palermo side, at Gurruchaga 1450, Growlers is the bar that will offer a themed decoration, green beers, live makeup, fire jugglers and three live DJ sets that will provide music for the scene. Nearby, at Honduras 5815, is Bruce Grill Stationa railway-style pub, inspired by the Wild West, which invites you to celebrate Saint Patrick with a 2 for 1 spread throughout the day to taste their own craft beers.
The Buenos Aires government will carry out on Saturday, March 18, starting at noon, the 13th edition of the BA Celebrate Ireland on Av. de Mayo, between Bolívar and Chacabuco. Admission is free and there will be more than 40 gastronomic, craft and cultural stands. There, you can taste typical Irish food, such as irish stew and the inevitable fish & chips . There will also be a parade by the Band of the Regiment of Patricios, the pipers, the Club de Pelirrojos, families in typical costumes, mischievous goblins and many more guests.
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