Though there was a time when, in my “community”, it would have been heresy not to. Among the North London Irish, St. Patrick’s Night was like Christmas Eve but with more Guinness. People would pile into Biddy Mulligan’s on Kilburn High Road before crossing the street to the National Ballroom for the Paddy’s Night Hooley. There’d be an Irish show band, led by Jack Ruane or maybe Big Tom, a lot of reeling around the dancefloor followed by a different sort of reeling around the streets afterwards. Then it all changed. Irish culture went mainstream and this led, inevitably, to Riverdance, Westlife and artificial “Oirish” pubs. Ironically, the genuine Irish haunts like Biddy’s and The National are long gone, taking with them an authentic St. Patrick’s Night experience that today, I feel myself longing for. Still, if you are going out, this should get you in the mood.
