Bored of Paddy’s Day? From movie marathons to kitchen ceilís, here’s six ways to add some spraoi to March 17

Well, top o’ the you-know-what,me aul seamróg! We’re finally out the other side of another long, grey winter and things are about to get green. St Patrick’s Day has rolled around again and at any given moment between now and the 17th, there are hundreds — maybe thousands — of airborne Americans psyching themselves up for a weekend of potatoes and pints. Despite other countries putting on impressive displays for the occasion, Ireland is still the place to be for Paddy’s Day, as evidenced by the 200,000 or so people who visited this time last year. That’s a hell of a lot of thóins to póg!

But what about us? In recent years, I’ve noticed an increased cynicism among Irish people regarding our national holiday. Given that March 17 falls on a Monday this year, plenty of us will choose to escape the paddywhackery and head to the continent for a long weekend free from pipe bands and grown men in leprechaun suits.