Saint Patricks Day Festival in Dublin 8
The annual Saint Patrick’s Day Festival takes place in Dublin from the 15th to the 17th of March and there will be plenty of things to do in Dublin 8 as part of the national and worldwide celebrations which are connected to our national holiday. Here are a few of them.
Saint Patricks Day Parade
The Saint Patricks Day parade will start off on the North Side of Dublin at Parnell Square North and follow its usual route past the Garden of Remembrance, down O’Connell Street, Westmoreland Street, Dame Street and High Street before entering Dublin 8 at Nicholas Street, passing by Saint Patricks Cathedral on Patrick Street and down Kevin Street before finishing up at Saint Stephen’s Green.
As usual, the event will attract a huge crowd with over 400,000 spectators expected to be lining its route, so if you want to get a good view, you should arrive early or if you are lucky enough to either live in an apartment or know anyone who does on Nicholas Street or Patrick Street, then you can get an unimpeded view of the parade from above from the apartment balcony or window.
This year there will be over 4000 participants in the parade, which will include pageants, various floats and marching bands. Some of the scheduled participants in the parade will include the Artane Boys Band and the Clondalkin Youth Band from Ireland, marching bands from Austria and Colorado, Ohio, Alaska, Illinois, Florida and Texas in the U.S.A.
Pubs which the parade will pass by in Dublin 8 and where you can enjoy liquid refreshments and a bite to eat include the Lord Edward Fitzgerald Pub at Christchurch Place, Fallons ‘The Capstan Bar’ just adjacent to Patrick Street on the Coombe and the Fourth Corner Pub on the corner of Patrick Street and Kevin Street.
In the Footsteps of Saint Patrick Walking Tour
‘In the Footsteps of Saint Patrick’ is a walking tour led by experienced guides, which focuses on sites associated with Saint Patrick and early medieval Dublin. The tour will take in sites at Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, Saint Audoen’s Church and other sites in the Liberties. The tour finishes at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral itself and the ticket includes entrance to the Cathedral for a self-guided tour. Tours take place on the 15th, 16th and 18th of March. There will be no tour on Saint Patrick’s Day, the 17th of March because of the parade. Tour times are at 10.30 AM and 2.15 PM each day. Ticket prices are: €35 for adults and €30 for seniors and students and €15 for youths aged 14 to 18 years old. Children as part of family groups are free but will have to pay €7 to enter Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. You can book your tickets at the link below:
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST PATRICK | PAT LIDDY’S WALKING TOURS
Saint Patrick’s Day Treasure Hunt
Dublin City Council is having a Saint Patrick’s Festival Treasure Hunt on Saturday the 15th of March. It is the opening event of The Saint Patrick’s day Festival 2025 and you can enter in teams of up to four people. The treasure hunt will take approximately 2 hours to complete. During it, your team will have to follow clues and solve a series of questions by visiting various locations around Dublin City where your team can collect stamps from the festival staff. When you have completed all the tasks, your team must then return to the Civic Offices at Wood Quay to have your team’s finish time recorded. The treasure hunt is free to enter and is open to all ages although minors must be accompanied by an adult. The 3 fastest teams to complete the treasure hunt will win as yet unspecified ‘fantastic’ prizes.
Registration for the treasure hunt takes place at Dublin City Council Civic Offices on Wood Quay from 10am-12pm on the day but it is advisable to register online before the day of the treasure hunt as places will be limited.
You can register your team online at the link below:
Dublin City Council St. Patrick’s Festival Treasure Hunt | St. Patrick’s Festival
Brazen Head Pub, Bridge Street, Dublin 8
The Brazen Head pub is Ireland’s oldest pub and in fact, it is reported to be the world’s fifth oldest pub, predated only by pubs located in Austria, Germany, Wales and China. There has been a hostel dating back to 1198 at this site and the present Georgian building dates from the 1750’s. It is open from 12 noon until late each night and it has 3 bars and a beer garden in front of the main bar. There is a full menu with food being served until 9pm each night and there is also live music in two of the bars.
The street on which it is located, Bridge Street, is also the area from which the original Gaelic name of Dublin comes. Dublin’s Gaelic name is Baile Atha Cliath, which means in English, ‘the Town of the Ford of the Reed Hurdles’. It got its name from the reed matting which was fixed to the river bed so that people could cross the muddy bed of the River Liffey at low tide without sinking into it. The Father Mathew Bridge now crosses the river at this spot.
The Brazen Head is an extremely popular location with both locals and tourists and it will be especially busy on Saint Patrick’s Day, so if you want to sample the food and drink and listen to the live music, it is advisable to come early. You can view the menu at the link below:
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