St. Patrick's Weekend, 2003

(Click the thumbnails for the big picture.)

Due to this year's St. Patrick's Day falling on a Monday, the Munich parade organisers decided to hold the event on Sunday 16th. So, on Saturday evening we had to go out in order to do some preparation for the day ahead. Any excuse for a few beers.

We headed for Wassermann Schwabing as a starting point. Ok it was the ending point too. In attendance were myself, Kathrin, Esther & Ralf, the inimitable Mr. Paul Flanagan and Esther's cousin Cyrille who was visiting from from Washington. Myself & Kathrin were both pretty tired so we decided to have a couple of Vodka Redbull's to perk ourselves up. Things spiralled downhill from there into a myriad of cocktails.

Our friendly waitresses. Smily happy people.

Cyrille posing with the barman, who looks like all his Christmas's have come at once.

After a couple of late drinks back at my apartment everyone went home and crashed. The next day we scraped ourselves out of bed and headed into town to watch the parade and celebrate with the other 1499 Irish people living in Munich. The first St. Patrick's Day parade here was about 7 years ago. Apparently they got a license from the council to have a march with about 300 people so long as they stayed on the pavements and didn't disrupt traffic. When over 3500 people showed up on the day, plans had to be altered slightly. So now, Ireland is the country for whom the Munich City Council close half of Leopoldstrasse for the national day.

Motorcycle cops getting into the spirit of things with Irish flags on their bikes. The green uniforms were a nice touch too.

St. Patrick himself with his Irish Wolfhounds leading the parade down Leopoldstrasse from Münchener Freiheit.

Kathrin in her "rugby groupie" top.

The big pint and a few cops proudly wearing their flags. Incidentally, the German national football team has a green away strip. It's a little known fact that the reason for this was to say thanks to the Irish who were the first international side to play them after World War II. Now, not a lot of people know that.

Some of the many groups marching in the parade.

Girlie in little leather shorts. Always a good thing. Actually they're bar staff from the nearby Wirtshaus Zur Brez'n watching the parade.

Music was provided by a mobile diddley-eyedly session on the back of a van.

Flags and banners as the parade reaches Siegestor.

Got into the pub at about 2.30 (Chinese dentist time). We skipped the blessing of the shamrock at Odeansplatz in favour of the drowning of the shamrock in Kilian's.

By about 3.30 the place was stuffed and the party was in full swing.

Cormac and his "Shag Me I'm Irish" t-shirt didn't get him as much success as he would have liked.

Kathrin wearing shades which we pick-pocketed from a girl standing nearby. It's ok, we gave them back afterwards. We only steal pub glasses, not sun glasses.

Paddy the Leprechaun meets the girls. Paddy was certainly the most popular chap in the pub that day.

Bit of advertising for the home company.

Notice how I almost succeeded in hiding my double chin behind Kathrin's shoulder. A cunning ploy.

A big bloke in leather trousers playing the bag-pipes, Cyrille and her all American smile and a pissed girl up on a table.

Drink, Arse, Girls!!! Incidentally, the girl from the first picture didn't like the shot so she got me to take another one. So, picture 1 is a normal relaxed bum and picture 2 is what a bum looks like when it's posing.

Kathrin and her Scottish warrior.

Some of Kathrin's 'many' potential suitors...

...and the one lucky bloke.

And finally the hero of the night, Paddy the Leprechaun.