Talking shop addresses green issues for St Patrick’s Day

THE six-day St Patrick’s Day Festival began in Dublin yesterday with what is hoped to be an annual event: a talking shop in Dublin Castle about what it means to be Irish.

Key figures in the arts, society and business came together to Talk Irish and explore the phenomenon of Irish success, how we perceive ourselves and whether we are confident about the future.

Festival chief executive Maria Moynihan said the one-day symposium was a chance to figure out what it was we were celebrating.