Hopefully this is the last quiet one!
It’s hard to quite comprehend it, but it’s coming up to a whole year since lockdown restrictions started to impact our lives. One of the first markers of this was the cancellation of Dublin’s famous St. Patrick’s Day parade, the news of which was met with shock and disappointment. [Featured Image: Diogo Palhais, Unsplash].
Fast forward one year, and we already know that the 2021 event also won’t take place as we know it. However, we do have some added experience of this odd year, and many of us have learned how to celebrate safely. Let’s hope next year we can be back on those streets celebrating Paddy’s day the way it should be.
So, here’s a few suggestions of things you can do this year as you dream about how you hope next year will be. Let’s have a couple, shall we?
1. Go for a victory walk
It’s a credit to everyone who’s lives have been turned upside down that somehow a whole year has gone by. Well, even if it doesn’t seem real, or if it all seems scarily real, there is light at the end of the tunnel marked by the rolling out of vaccines across the world. So, walk to your favourite spot in the city and take it a minute to reflect on everything. Whether it’s hanging out with the deer in Phoenix Park or watching the waves hit the shore over by Poolbeg Lighthouse, take yourself out the house and admire one of your beloved Dublin spots.
2. Raise a glass of Guinness
By hook or by crook, most folk from Ireland have a Guinness pint glass in their house. So, there’s no better time to fill a glass with the national drink and toast to those around you, and those not with you. We’ll sure be counting down the days until we can do the same surrounded by all those we love inside a pub.
3. Have your own virtual parade over video calls
While we all might have grown a little sick of endless zoom calls in the first few months of the pandemic, I’m certain that we can all make a small exception here. Whether you’re having a quiet chat and a glass of wine with your grandparents or whacking the tunes on and downing pints with your pals, there’s infinite ways to have a mini-parade as we count down the days until we get the real thing once again.
4. Watch this video over and over again
This is from last year, but we couldn’t bear to not share it with you all again. Playing this brightened up the moods of many once, and it can do it again. I mean, just look at it…
5. Binge on a True Crime series
True Crime has become the obsession of many around the world as of late, and with good reason. These shows on Netflix sure do get tense, making them some of the best to binge all in one go. So, why not celebrate the national day of Ireland by treating yourself to a duvet day and True Crime marathon? Here’s some ideas to get you started.
6. Treat yourself to your favourite hot beverage and snack
Getting through these lockdowns have, in no small part, been down to carrying out little rituals that get you through the day. Often, these are as small as a walk to your favourite café to pick up a coffee to go and pastry. If you’ve not done that in a while, then what better time to put that right than March 17?
7. Get a new book delivered from one of Dublin’s independent bookshops
A quiet day in front of the fire digging into your gripping new whodunnit hardback sounds like heaven. To prepare for this, why not get your book delivered from a Dublin bookshop that still delivering during lockdown? From The Winding Stair to Ulysses Rare Books to The Gutter Bookshop, here’s a few spots that you can order your next thrilling read from in Dublin.
8. Turn movie night into movie day
Everyone has a list going on their phone of movies they’ve been meaning to watch for ages. And it’s time to make a big dent in that list, friends. Start early, finish late, and watch as many as you can while pausing intermittently to order takeaway. If your list isn’t doing it for you, here’s one we made of critically-acclaimed movies streaming on Netflix.
9. Start your own virtual parade
Happy St. Patrick’s Day ☘️☘️☘️ from Co. Clare #virtualparade #RTEVirtualParade pic.twitter.com/ft5BYqT2Od
— orlaith corr (@CorrOrlaith) March 17, 2020
One of the most heart-warming things about Paddy’s Day last year, was seeing the ways people celebrated outside their houses with their family, in a safe and socially-distant way. These were all shared via the hashtag #RTEVirtualParade, and it made for some truly amazing viewing. From Irish dances in front gardens to window displays, lets have more of the same this year, eh?
10. Bake a celebration cake
Everyone has probably had a crack at baking something over the last year while we’ve been stuck at home. Well, whatever you’ve perfected, it’s time to dish it out and eat the day away to celebrate Paddy’s day in full style.