Events 2009

Spend St Patrick's Day in London and you can enjoy a huge variety of Irish entertainment. Listen up for live Irish music, watch original theatre penned by Irish playwright Enda Walsh, or cheer on the London Irish as they take the Northampton Saints.

Le Cheile, The London Lasses and Pete Quinn

London Irish Centre, London, NW1 9XB
13th March 2009

Le Cheile is a band formed from musicians who played regularly in The White Hart, Fulham Broadway in the early 1970's, and though the old pub is now closed the band plays on. For this special Friday night performance at the London Irish Centre they're joined by The London Lasses and Pete Quinn as they put on a brilliant pre-Paddy's Day warm up, showcasing some of the best traditional Irish music. Karen Ryan's London Lasses - five London-based girls of Irish descent - show how the fiddle should be played with Pete Quinn accompanying them on the piano. The band have entertained rapturous crowds at major venues like the Royal Albert Hall, the Barbican and Glastonbury. There's also support from The Trad Gathering, 80 young Irish performers who last appeared at the Albert Hall as part of BBC Proms Folk Day, a joint venture with the London Irish Return to Camden Festival.

More info: Le Cheile, The London Lasses and Pete Quinn Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

The New Electric Ballroom

Riverside Studios Theatre, London, W6 9RL
3rd March - 30th March 2009

Dublin born Irish playwright Enda Walsh (Disco Pigs, Bedhound, The Walworth Farce), brings his award-winning play The New Electric Ballroom about small-town life to the Riverside Studios. Last year Walsh won not only the Fringe First Award at Edinburgh with this play but also the Camera d'Or prize at Cannes for 'Hunger', a film about the 1981 IRA hunger strike he co-wrote with director Steve McQueen. The New Electric Ballroom is a follow up to his 'The Walworth Farce', a play inspired by the highly publicised kidnapping by Austrian Josef Fritzl and staged at the National Theatre last year. This latest work is darker. Set in a claustraphobic family home in an Irish coastal town, it follows the lives of three sisters, two of whom haven't left the house in years. It's an intense and thought provoking tale, as we've come to expect from Enda Walsh's pioneering plays.

More info: The New Electric Ballroom Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

London Irish v Northampton Saints

Madejski Stadium, London, RG2 0FL
22nd March 2009

The London Irish Exiles rugby team take on Northampton Saints on the Sunday after St Patrick's Day, on 22nd March. It's not just a day of rugby, there's a big party and lots of fun including live music, free face painting, prize draws and the chance to see yourself on the big screen. Just send a photo of you in your London Irish shirt taken in a far away place to matchday@london-irish.com - and you could be in with a chance of winning a prize. The Paul Bowen Band start things off at 11am on the main stage in the Guinness Village, followed by sets from fellow Craic regulars, Rip The Calico and JD and the Longfellows. After the match, the BibleCodeSundays! headline with Ronan and the boys making a welcome return to Madejski Stadium, fresh from their US tour. This annual London Irish event was a sell-out last year with a crowd of more than 23,500 people enjoying the action both on and off the pitch - booking in advance is advisable.

More info: London Irish v Northampton Saints Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

St Patrick's Night Party with Hungry Grass

Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith, London, W6 9DT
17th March 2009

Join Irish band Hungry Grass for a raucous and authentic St Patrick's Day night out at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith. The five Irish lads - Peter Coughlan, Kane O'Rourke, Christian Vaughah, Mark Conyard and John Gaughan - perform their own traditional sounding tunes and ballads as well as some old Irish favourites including cover versions of songs by The Pogues, Van Morrison and Thin Lizzy. They play a mixture of banjo, fiddle, guitar, flute and bodhran box between them and, having played together for years, their well rehearsed songs are note perfect and beautifully timed. It's just the kind of music that jolts the audience into a night of energetic jigs and reels.

More info: St Patrick's Night Party with Hungry Grass Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

St Patrick's Day - A Musical Celebration

St Martin-in-the-Fields, WC2N 4JJ
17th March 2009

The Locrian Ensemble, a collection of string soloists, regularly perform at St Martin-in-the-Fields. But for St Patrick's Day they're putting on a special musical celebration playing classic Irish songs including Danny Boy and a selection of Irish melodies for harp and strings. The ensemble have frequently recorded for the BBC, including the score for the 'Wilde' film starring Stephen Fry. Joining the ensemble are Dermot Crehan on the fiddle, Fiona Kelly on the flute and harpist Jean Kelly. Originally from Cork, Jean graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2000 and has since played with the RTE orchestra, at Prince Charles' birthday and on the soundtrack to The Lord of the Rings films. You won't find a more civilised way to celebrate St Patrick's Day.

More info: St Patrick's Day - A Musical Celebration Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Did you know??

Last year's St Patrick's Day in London saw the largest ever gathering of Pats - Patricks, Pats, Paddys, Padraigs and Patricias - part of a successful attempt to break a world record. Over 1,100 people called Pat gathered in Trafalgar Square and helped set a new world record for the largest number of people with the same first name to be in one place. Some Proud2bPat participants even changed their name by Deed Poll, just for the day. There was a serious side to the mass meeting of the Pats - they not only set a new world record but also helped raise money for Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.