Suzanne Harrington: Irish in Britain have gone from being despised to celebrated 

Unlike in the US, March 17 in the UK used to be a small thing that happened in a handful of Irish pubs in immigrant postcodes... that has changed

St Patrick’s Day has become another bead on the British necklace of marketable dates that link the year, like Mother’s Day or Valentine’s or any other Hallmark cash-in. It is no longer niche. Picture: iStock. 

To celebrate St Patrick’s Day, my adopted home town has gone all out. Not just the usual pub crawls, parties, céilidhs, live Irish music, shamrock-themed club nights, but drag shows, accessorised by green glitter and Guinness.

In Gay-Town-On-Sea — Brighton — our local drag queens will transform themselves into sparkly leprechauns and towering glamour-colleens.