Irish celebration at its best

Irish expatriates in the city were in for a wonderful evening at Hotel Taj West End recently. The Ambassador of Ireland in India, Brian McElduff, and Consul General of Ireland, Karnataka, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, organised the St Patrick’s Day celebrations, which witnessed the presence of many people from different communities in Bengaluru.

The dress code for the evening was green and the guests were each given customary green badges in the shape of the ‘shamrock’, a leaf/ flower considered to be lucky and symbolic of Ireland in the 5th century (when St Patrick introduced Christianity there).

Typical Irish music was played on the occasion. A welcome speech was delivered by Brian McElduff and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. A variety of vibrant Irish pub songs like ‘Danny Boy’, ‘Molly Malone’ and ‘Mountains of Mourne’ were presented by local singers.  Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said that it is an important national day of Ireland which is celebrated with much fanfare every year.

“It is a celebration of bonhomie, sharing and enjoying together,” she said. Irish Canadian couple Sandy and Bernadette were all too glad to join in the fun, food and celebrations. “The place is beautifully decorated and the ambience is lovely,” said Bernadette. Sandy added, “It’s great that everyone around the world shares in this celebration. That adds to the warmth of it.”

Canadian expatriates Jennifer and David said that the Irish have a reputation of being very friendly. “It’s great to be here and we are hoping to meet some very amicable people today,” said David. Audrey, an Irish expatriate who works with Glaxo Smithkline, found it to be a rather nostalgic occasion. “Somebody has put in a lot of time and effort into organising this get-together. I have come here with some friends and hope to meet more people from Ireland and forge deep bonds of friendship.”

Meanwhile, Deirdre from Ireland, who also lives in the city with her husband, was happy to point out similarities between Ireland and Bengaluru. “Both the places are really green and the people are nice and affectionate. I love the food here and the weather makes Bengaluru even more special. I have many friends in the city but I also hope to make an Irish friend here.”