Happy St Paddy's 2010!!!!

8:30am: Wake up this morning, put the kettle on and take my shamrock out of the fridge.

The shamrock needs to be rejuvenated in water so I pop it into a mug to soak for a couple of hours.

I check Met Eirann for today's weather forecast. As usual, it is vague:

Mild today, and breezy at times, with mainly southerly winds. Dry in most places, with some hazy sunshine. Some patches of damp, misty weather also, chiefly in the southwest and south. Highest temperatures ranging 11 to 15 C. So.....they're basically saying that it's going to be sunny, hazy, cloudy and perhaps raining.

9:15am: Time for some breakfast. I make myself a cup of tea with milk & honey and decide to opt for something unhealthy by having a chocolate & Guinness muffin.

(The plan is to feed the rest of the muffins to people at work tomorrow.)

9:43am: I check the bus time table. I have the choice of catching the bus at 10:40am and arriving in Cork city at 11:25am, or catching the bus at 11:40am arriving at 12:25pm. The parade starts at 1pm and I figure that the later bus is likely to be packed and arrive late as there will likely be traffic. I decide that it's better to be too early than too late.

10:01am: Head dress time - I decide to forgo the cheesy Irish hat paraphernalia and instead don a mint green coat and my butterfly spring wreath. (When is there ever another occasion to wear a wreath? Although according to Closetblonde's guide to fashion, any time is a good time :p)

10:40am: Boarding the bus - at least there are a few seats left....... There are many American tourists who seem to speak in decibel levels about three folds that of everybody else.

11:10am: In Cork city - a full fifteen minutes early as the roads are clear...... Maybe I should have driven down to Cork - sacrilege to any Irishman - how one earth can one go to the pub and just have only one drink? Ridiculous.
There's nothing to do but to take a slow wander down to Tesco to buy an early lunch of egg and watercress sandwiches.

12:00pm: I take a seat on one of the many benches along St Patrick's St. Damn the wind is cold. Isn't it supposed to be spring...?

12:10pm: Test S.B & S.F. to let them know I'm here, way too early. (Where is everybody?) S.F. has a hangover and wants to skip the parade. S.B. textes back to say that she'll be on her way and will be in the city around twenty to one.

12:30pm: There's still hardly anybody about. Where is everybody?

12:40pm: There's now a small crowd building. Plenty of there's still plenty of spots with front view of St Patrick's street though. I decide to get up from the bench to claim a spot. This would have never happened in Dublin!

12:47pm: A lady with her two small children (around ages 2 and 4) rock up with a pram in tow. She tries to use her buggy to shove me aside to allow her kids a better view. How rude. I want to tell her that if she had wanted more room, she should have come earlier. I do however, move to allow her kids to squeeze in beside me.

12:50pm: S. arrives with her housemate and stand behind me.

2:10pm: Still waiting for the parade to come through from wherever they initially started. The lady's kids are already complaining and becoming restless. The four year old is complaining that he is getting squashed, the little girl starts crying and wants her mum to carry her. Her mum tells the little girl that she isn't able to carry her for the whole entire parade as she is too heavy, which results in even more crying. The lady's eyes meet mine, apologetic with the underlying look of helplessness. I do feel sorry for her, but have to wonder whether the parade is appropriate for small children. I mean, will they actually appreciate any of it? It's just like bringing babies to Disneyland.

2:15pm: The parade starts! And what a view.

A few of the groups are basically mothers in track pants pushing prams. They look as though they're ambling down to collect their weekly Centrelink payments. How they got into the parade on such minimal effort, I'm not entirely sure. But then, I think this parade's a free for all as out comes a group of elderly people with wheelchairs in tow chanting the rosary through loudspeakers.

2:30pm: More screaming from the lady's two year old wanting to be carried.
"I can't carry you any more," the lady says to the child. "You're too heavy for mummy to carry."
The lady has to keep on bringing the four year old's attention back to the parade.
"I can't see," complains the little boy.

2:32pm: The lady asks another lady to make more room for her four year old.
"No. I can't move any more." snaps the woman. "This is my spot. I was here long before you were."
"But he's only a little boy," says the mother.
Oh dear.

2:42pm: The little boy has had enough of the parade and his mum decides to leave with both children in tow.

15:15pm: The parade's over, and it's now time for lunch followed by drinks at Mutton Lane. After a few glasses of Kopparburg, I head home around 6pm.

Parade verdict: Less touristy than Dublin, with less crowds making it easier to get around. The parade itself wasn't particularly exciting, although the same can be said about the one in Dublin.
It's like most things in Ireland, really.