March 17 is not officially a holiday in Australia but St Patrick’s Day is a day of great celebration for more than 10 percent of Australians who identify as having full Irish ancestry.

 

Well over two million Aussies have self-declared their Irish heritage, third behind only English and Australian in terms of groups here in Australia identifying themselves as originating from one background.

 

A staggering 30 percent of Australians have partial Irish ancestry, with Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth being the cities which have the most significant Irish populations.

 

St Patrick’s Day was originally dedicated to the patron saint of Ireland, St Patrick, who passed away on March 17 in the fifth century.

 

As time has marched on, it has become not only Ireland’s national day but also a date on the calendar of immense celebration for all those of Irish extraction, regardless of where they may be domiciled across the globe.

 

The St Patrick’s Day parade in New York City is the biggest of its type in the world, attracting over two million people!

 

Sydney actually hosts the world’s eighth largest St Patrick’s Day parade and each year, the Opera House turns green for St. Patrick’s Day, courtesy of laser lighting effects.

 

Green is Ireland’s national colour, the colour of the shamrock and both shamrocks and indeed the colour green are considered good luck by those of Irish heritage.

 

Sydney’s St Patrick’s Day parade dates back more than two centuries, as the first Irish settlers arrived in Australia in the early 19th century.

 

Many pubs, both in the Sydney CBD and also the suburbs, host special St Patrick’s Day lunches, with Irish music and dancing and competitions for the best dressed….along with Irish-themed menus.

 

While guiness (the favourite alcoholic drink of the Irish) is in great demand, with many venues adding green food colouring to this usually darkish liquid to give it a green appearance.

 

In late 2019, this website published a list of the 10 most famous and influential Irish people of all time, with singer Bono ranked at number one, ahead of controversial fighter Conor McGregor and actor Liam Neeson.

 

The Irish population throughout the world are known for their good humour so it is somewhat ironic that for many decades, they have borne the brunt of Irish jokes – although not surprisingly, these gags don’t seem to circulate anywhere near as widely these days, in these politically correct times.

 

The Irish have had a major influence on the community in many countries they have settled in, in many different fields from politics to religion, to art, to building, to music, to acting and to literature.

 

Two of the world’s all-time great writers, James Joyce and Oscar Wilde were both Irish.

 

Australia is a popular holiday destination for the Irish, many of whom love to visit our shores for working vacations.

 

Obviously, the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020 has put the plans of pending visitors on hold, but as the world gradually returns to some kind of normality, it’s to be hoped that Australia will be able to open its doors to international travel once more.

 

Yes I Can Project Group is NSW’s fastest growing and most innovative building company, specialising in quality bathroom and kitchen renovations in Sydney.

 

We wish all of our past and potential Irish customers a very “Happy St Patrick’s Day”, a greeting we also extend to the thousands of tradies working in Sydney of Irish heritage and indeed, any other Irish folk currently perusing this article.