Oh Danny Boy!

It was St. Patrick's Day yesterday. It is a day which celebrates all things green - think leprechauns, shamrocks and of course the Guinness which although not green(except on St. P's Day)is an undeniable marker of Irishness. There are parades and revelry all over the globe where the Irish diaspora is present. This ritual started in America by Irish immigrants has spread to places far and wide and is associated with much drinking, and wearing of the large white, black and green Guinness hats and dancing to Irish music!

Since I am honorary Irish and the husband is one quarter Irish we thought we'd go to the local Irish pub for some shenanigans! 'Molly Malone' is the most popular of the Irish themed bars in Tallinn and is a good spot for watching the English Premier league football. The last time we were there we had noticed the signs for a St.Patrick's Day party with live music so we decided to nip across, despite the cold, to experience St. Patrick's Day in Estonia!

We passed the St. Patrick's bar in the Foorum on our way to Mollys and was sad to see it dark and empty. As we neared the old town square we could hear strains of live music coming from its depth. Molly's is a small establishment and on the best of days is rather crowded but yesterday it was like a busy market square in India! It was bulging at its seams. The bar was impossible to access and one had to fight through the surging crowds in order to find a place to stand! The band playing sounded lively but did not sound Irish - we thought they were playing gypsy tunes. The crowd was merry but we could hardly see the performers as they were crowded in on all sides. Having lived in Scotland I am no stranger to busy pubs (they are of course more enjoyable in a bigger group) but last night we felt a bit out of our depth and left to have a quiet drink in the delightful Old Hansa! Oh, the signs are that we are indeed getting old when we can't hack big crowds!!

We did listen to the Dubliners though which is always enjoyable!