Gerry
03-17-2008, 04:31 PM
We went for a walk into town to see the celebrations under way for the Saint Patrick's Festival as it is now being called. The Tourist Board have obviously realised that you can't get many visitors to fly in from around the world for a one day event so now Saint Patrick's celebrations last at least four days. A good mini break size of a celebration.
With not a hotel room vacant for miles around the buzz as we parked along the river and made our way on foot the last few miles along it's winding pathway filled the air. The broad dark water of the river acts like an amplifier and the rhythm of the drums kept the hoard of people making the same walk keep in step. That was working well when it was the steady beat of a pipe band playing a lilting Irish air but as they turned into the distant town square it was the clang and bang of the Chinese community as they played to keep their colourful dragons dancing on the parade. The beat was fast enough to bring on a few heart attacks if everyone had tried to keep in step with them.
I was glad to hear their sound fade as they entered the square only to have the truly traditional Irish Samba band together with a multitude of colourfully dressed jigglers, wigglers and whistle blowers follow them on the parade. I call them jigglers and wigglers because poor Saint Patrick would never have recognised their display as dancing. But boy did it keep the jigglers warm because their outfits certainly didn't.
Well Saint Patrick turned the stone today as the sun shone brightly down on the celebrations today with barely a cloud in the sky. Those past few days of torrential rain were just Saint Patrick's way of making sure we all had a good dry day today.
Well dry weather wise that is.
By Gerry Temple
Copyright March 2008
With not a hotel room vacant for miles around the buzz as we parked along the river and made our way on foot the last few miles along it's winding pathway filled the air. The broad dark water of the river acts like an amplifier and the rhythm of the drums kept the hoard of people making the same walk keep in step. That was working well when it was the steady beat of a pipe band playing a lilting Irish air but as they turned into the distant town square it was the clang and bang of the Chinese community as they played to keep their colourful dragons dancing on the parade. The beat was fast enough to bring on a few heart attacks if everyone had tried to keep in step with them.
I was glad to hear their sound fade as they entered the square only to have the truly traditional Irish Samba band together with a multitude of colourfully dressed jigglers, wigglers and whistle blowers follow them on the parade. I call them jigglers and wigglers because poor Saint Patrick would never have recognised their display as dancing. But boy did it keep the jigglers warm because their outfits certainly didn't.
Well Saint Patrick turned the stone today as the sun shone brightly down on the celebrations today with barely a cloud in the sky. Those past few days of torrential rain were just Saint Patrick's way of making sure we all had a good dry day today.
Well dry weather wise that is.
By Gerry Temple
Copyright March 2008