Ten ways to experience Irish culture on St Patrick's Day
A selection of Irish cultural highlights
Screen Ireland yesterday uploaded a new and special St Patrick’s Day animation from Kilkenny studio Cartoon Saloon.Â
Tapping into the spirit of their Oscar-nominated , the short tells the story of St Patrick, his dealings with an ancient Celtic tribe, and how they became Wolfwalkers as part of their curse – or blessing.
You can watch the short below, and stream on Apple TV+.
Irish video-on-demand platform Volta.ie is hosting a St Patrick's Film Festival and gifting Irish audiences access to a week of Irish films.
The festival will run on the service from March 15 to 21, and audiences can redeem the viewing code to watch multiple films from the festival collection, including and .
While we might criticise aspects of the service in need of an update, RTÉ Player is a vast trove of Irish content, available to stream for free (with ads) across a range of smart tellies, mobile devices and even games consoles.
And if there's one area the state broadcaster excels at, it's documentaries, and RTÉ Player has dozens, covering everything from Irish history and current affairs to our sporting icons and rich cultural history.Â
looks at how the Irish language has been taught on Irish television over the years; is a look at the legacy of the legendary Cork hurler; and currently-airing docu-series and  look at Irish identity, and the changes it's undergone since the foundation of the State.
While the streets aren't awash with people in cities, towns and villages across the country, Dublin's St Patrick's Festival has carried on regardless, providing a wealth of streaming content, including storytelling, music, food, walking tours, and even some seasonal yoga.
There's far too much to get into here, but a look at the programme provides a comprehensive overview of Irish culture and society, from an address from President Michael D Higgins, to a virtual Paddy's Day parade.
The on-demand audio medium has 'blown up', with a huge spike in listenership across the board in an Irish market traditionally in love with FM radio.
Early adopters, like performance artist Blindboy Boatclub, or Darach O'Sé of Irish language podcast Motherfoclóir have excelled in lockdown, providing an alternative to the newsfeed that can be consumed at your own pace, while bigger names like comedian Tommy Tiernan and seanchaà Eddie Linehan have brought their years of experience in their respective media to new shows.
Look for the following in your podcast app of choice for a taste of the Irish podcast scene:
- The Blindboy Podcast - weekly musings from one half of the Rubberbandits
- Motherfoclóir - a podcast about Irish, language and the Irish language
- United Ireland - Una and Andrea’s dives into current affairs provide a wonderful perspective on Ireland
- The Tommy Tiernan Podcast - comedy veteran gives his stream-of-consciousness take on various topics
- Tell Me a Story - Seanchaà Eddie Linehan relates Irish folk stories in his inimitable manner
Cork City Libraries have been offering digital borrowing for a while now, allowing users of the BorrowBox app to log in with their library details and avail of thousands of books on loan to their computers or devices.
To celebrate St Patrick's Day, they've curated a special selection of books celebrating Irish mythology and nature, including Eithne Massey and Liam Mac Uistin’s children’s adaptations of Irish legends, Niall Mac Coitir's nature guides, and more.
With St. Patrick's Day this week, here are some book suggestions from Catherine Kane about Irish myths, legends and native animals and trees that are available on BorrowBox #corkcitylibraries #irishfolklorehttps://t.co/NKT38N5YRL pic.twitter.com/QxU8vd9HZu
— Cork City Libraries (@corkcitylibrary) March 15, 2021
While Covid-19 has kept the doors of Cork's Crawford Art Gallery closed for now, the museum remains open virtually, via a 3D tour of the space in your internet browser.
Several exhibitions are ongoing, including the excellent Citizen: Somewhere, looking at the legacy of Terence MacSwiney through the lens of modern nationhood, but the whole building is up for exploration, and there's plenty of extra video content available, as well as activities for the kids.
They've been keeping it going over lockdown with their sitting room sessions and witty banter, and to mark a year of dealing with the wider response to Covid-19, Dundalk folk trio The Mary Wallopers are back to save Paddy's Day on YouTube, streaming live tonight at 9pm.Â
Brandishing a selection of long-loved homegrown ballads and songs from Irish communities abroad, they're the real deal - an authentic, warm and funny alternative to plastic Paddywhackery. And if we're lucky, we might even get a visit from Martin the cat.
It's been a staple of the Leeside music scene for over 15 years, and a dedicated supporter of new music from Ireland. Now, the world can see why Cork loves PLUGD Records so dearly with its new online home, including a huge selection of music from across the Irish underground, curated by owner Jimmy Horgan.Â
Whether it's the ongoing folk/traditional revival spearheaded by outfits like Lankum and Ye Vagabonds; new noise from heavier bands like Girl Band and Shifting; or the further reaches of electronica via the likes of ELLLL and Paddy Mulcahy, it's essential browsing for anyone looking to get a handle on what's happening in Irish music.
With the current golden age in Irish music, across all genres, comes a better appreciation for the history of contemporary sounds in post-1960s Ireland.Â
There's no better buachaill than Limerick man Peter Curtin, whose work on digging up Irish gems resulted in the compilation, released on vinyl and digitally in 2018 via Irish reissue label Allchival, including tunes from trailblazers like Louis Stewart, The Plattermen, Dr Strangely Strange and Rory Gallagher's Taste.Â
Last Monday, on his show on RTÉ 2XM, he served up a two-hour selection of Irish rarities, from Brush Shiels' pre-'cabaret' splendour to 1980's names like Big Self and Tokyo Olympics.
