Ireland gave the world its most widely celebrated national day, St Patrick’s Day, with Dublin’s great parade at its heart — and in a small Kerry town it still crowns a wild mountain goat as king for three days every August.
Photo: William Murphy, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The two festivals in this atlas show two faces of Irish celebration. St Patrick’s Day, on 17 March, honours the country’s foremost patron saint and is marked in more countries than any other national festival; Dublin hosts a festival of several days and the national parade. Puck Fair in Killorglin, County Kerry, is one of Ireland’s oldest fairs, held from 10 to 12 August and traced at least as far back as a patent of 1613.
Lá Fhéile Pádraig
On 17 March Ireland honours its patron saint with parades, traditional music and a sea of green and shamrocks — led by the national parade through Dublin, and echoed in Irish communities and green-lit landmarks around the world.
March 17, 2027Calculated
Aonach an Phoic
Every August a wild goat is brought down from the mountains to the Kerry town of Killorglin, crowned King Puck by a local schoolgirl, and presides over three days of horse and cattle fairs, music and late nights before returning home to the hills.
August 10 – 12, 2027Calculated