Green Day in Helsinki!

On this coming Thursday, March 17th, a few people including myself will be wearing green and celebrating this year's St. Patrick's Day in Finland. Since moving to Finland I have noticed how well the Finnish people are able to enjoy this annual Irish holiday. I could almost say it comes natural! 
Having spent a few winters here in Finland, I can understand why so many Finns embrace this event with such joy and enthusiasm. The winters here are long, dark and extremely cold. And when this kind of weather drags on past February, there comes with it a lot of irritation, frustration and a growing urge to see the snow melt quickly. The more the sun appears, the stronger the feel of Spring! And while this may be the first celebration of the Spring season for many people, the Finnish people can get more value from it than most of us. It's time to forget about the cold and say goodbye to the snow (even if it's still hanging around!), - it's time to party!

This year I am planning my Paddy's Day schedule in Helsinki this year, where I hope to knock back a few pints of Guinness and maybe one or two whiskeys. I haven't decided where to go this year, but I reckon I'll find some craic somewhere! 

There's several places where you can drown the shamrock (if you can find a shamrock!!) in Helsinki this year. Top of the list has to be Molly Malone's pub where you will find 'A Hell of a Band' and also Finn McCool playing a tribute to the Dubliners singer Luke Kelly.

Not too far away from Molly Malone's bar in Helsinki you will find Brègain playing at O'Malley's Irish bar. 

I wish I had a little more information on what other bars have planned, but here are a few links to some bars which may be celebrating this Thursday
.

Parnells Irish Bar, Hämeentie 35, 00500 Helsinki

Kitty O'Shea's Irish bar, Helsinki

The Dubliner. Helsinki

The Castle, Turku

Daniel O'Connell's Irish Bar, Tampere

Parnell's bars in Finland

And finally, if I upset any fans of the band Green Day by my deceptive title please accept my apologies!

Especially for you, here's Green Day on December 15th, 1991 singing an old song in a pub I used to visit frequently back in Dublin. It was an afternoon gig (4-6pm), hence such a quiet 'crowd'. This tiny venue with a capacity of about 40 people was called 'The Attic', and could be found upstairs at a pub called 'The White Horse Inn'. 

Enjoy!

...and just one more thing for those of you good people who read this far down the page.....

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-Alan

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Irish Rockin' in Russia!

I'll be 'drowning the shamrock' quietly here in Finland tomorrow. But if there's anybody from a certain part of Russia reading this blog, I can recommend a good night out for you. I have a cousin from Dublin who's heading over to Belgorod to play two concerts with his band The Spikes soon. He only joined this band quite recently but I hear he's fitting into their sound very well and it looks like they're heading for better things pretty soon. 

The band will be releasing a new album shortly, which can only fuel the fire of their much appraised live shows. I believe 'live' music is the way to go for new bands today, and I reckon The Spikes have enough enthusiasm and charisma to do the job properly.

The Spikes will playing at Hamilton's Pub in Belgorod, Russia on St.Patrick's Night March 17th and also on Friday March 19th, 2010.

Here's a video from The Spikes. The song is called Monster.

If you're lucky enough to be at their gig in Russia, have a great night!

Thanks for reading my blog and please share it with all your friends.

-Alan

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The Shamrock Experiment: Day 1

I thought I'd try and grow my own shamrock for St.Patrick's Day this year. This small green plant needs a little care and attention to be grown indoors, so don't be surprised if this goes all wrong. And there isn't a huge amount of sunshine in my part of Finland at the moment.

I didn't have any soil or fertiliser around, so I have to make do with some old mix of wood chippings and dirt. Because of this I will have to keep it well drained with water over the next few weeks.

Will I have the 'Luck of the Irish'? We shall see!

I purchased this small packet

of seeds while in Ireland last Christmas.

So here's the first photo of my experiment.

Keep watching this terribly exciting blog to see if the

shamrock grows in time for good old

St.Patrick's Day 2010!

Click here to read The Shamrock Experiment: Day 2