March 17–one of the best reasons to do a spring semester in Ireland.  To be honest, there’s bigger celebrations in Dublin, New York, Chicago, or probably even Washington D.C., but spending St. Patrick’s Day in Galway was really nice.

To start, it was on a Saturday.  I hope I’ve mentioned how much I love Saturdays in Galway for the farmers’ market. So 10 AM is the perfect time to get a donut with cocoa powder to snack on while waiting for the burrito fillings to warm up.  I also treated myself with some hot apple cider, which was an excellent decision.

The parade was very near the market, so I assumed I would have a good spot since there were barely any people while I was getting my food. Well, by the time I finished and the parade was closer to starting, that changed!  It got very crowded, as you can see from the pictures.  

The parade itself was pretty nice and decently long.  There were lots of different groups represented.  One particular float stood out because it had people doing blacksmithing on it! Others had wrestlers, Irish dancers, musicians, and many other somewhat random things.  The parade ended with a giant snake.

Aside from some people watching downtown, I wasn’t too keen to go in any of the bars that day.  Instead, Dan and I walked around town and I took these nice pictures.  The first picture is of a monument for those who left during the famine. 

Classes ended the last week of March, so now I’m studying for exams in April, writing papers that are due soon, and travelling until I come home in May. I can’t believe the semester is winding down!

Location: Galway, Ireland