St. Patrick’s Day parade to return next week

The Consulate General of Ireland in Hong Kong and Macau and the Irish Chamber of Commerce are jointly planning a series of events and activities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Among these is the headline St. Patrick’s Day parade, which will be held on Avenida da Praia, near the Taipa Houses-Museum, on March 18 at 4 p.m., the same location as its debut last year.

At sunset on the previous day, March 17, the Ruins of St Paul’s will be officially “greened” with a lighting effect to celebrate the festival.

In conjunction with these two events, the Irish Chamber of Commerce has organized a variety of supplementary activities, including the bringing of Irish artists over to the MSAR as part of a cultural exchange.

For example, on Tuesday, two Irish animation producers held a workshop in the city, while an Irish craft workshop is currently being planned for Monday next week.

“The combination of all of these events helps to introduce Ireland and our culture, music and F&B [food and beverage] to Macau,” Niall Murray, Chairman of the Irish Chamber of Commerce, told the Times. “As the government is supporting the cultural and creative industries, we wanted to do a cultural exchange and bring over some Irish artists.”

Murray added that awareness of the cultural event is growing in Macau, especially among the local youth, many of whom study at schools that employ Irish teachers.

“A lot of teachers in Macau are from Ireland, so they may be teaching [St. Patrick’s Day] in the curriculum – particularly the Catholic schools,” he proposed.

According to organizers, there will also be an exhibition held at the Taipa Houses-Museum and a treasure hunt activity starting from 1 p.m. on March 18.

St. Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious occasion that commemorates the death of Ireland’s foremost patron saint, Saint Patrick. The Roman-British missionary is thought to have heralded the arrival of Christianity in the Emerald Isle during the late-5th century.

According to popular tradition, St. Patrick is also credited with driving the snakes out of Ireland, though this account is treated as an allegory for his evangelizing of the indigenous pagan population and their druids.

A St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in the Macau SAR for the first time last year and was well- attended by Irish and Anglophone expatriates.

Around 20 groups participated, including Chinese cultural performers and traditional Irish folk music and dance troupes. The occasion also warranted a visit from the then-Lord Mayor of Dublin, Críona Ní Dhálaigh.

“Last year, there was a wonderful turnout […] we have involved so many groups this year, so we expect many people will turn up to the event,” said Murray.

The multiple events are the continuation of a recent campaign to promote awareness of Ireland in the two SARs, spearheaded by the Consulate General of Ireland in Hong Kong and Macau.

“We have a lot of catching up to do in Macau, because for so long we didn’t have an office here,” Consul General Peter Ryan told the Times last year.

Roadhouse joins celebrations

The Roadhouse bar is joining the St Patrick’s Day celebration on March 17, featuring a group of Irish performers and artists, including Declan Carruthers and Declan Greene. Barry Jazz    Finnegan is a self-taught artist specialized in photorealism with charcoal on a large scale, will be drawing a special portrait for The Roadhouse which will then be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the Drug Abusers Rehabilitation Association (ARTM).