St Patrick’s Day festivities are typically rife with large crowds, dancing, music and high-spirited celebrations as people come together to honour the national identity and culture of Ireland.
However, this year there is a marked change in the way St Patrick’s Day will be observed, as members of the public are advised to distance themselves from one another amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Google Doodle that has been created in homage to the festival, which takes place on Tuesday 17 March, paints a notably serene image of Ireland.
The illustration depicts the Cliffs of Moher, a popular tourist attraction in Ireland that stretches 14km and is located in County Clare.
The limestone sea cliffs are one of the most recognisable landscapes in Ireland.
In 2015, the cliffs were declared a protected Global Geopark by Unesco (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), acknowledging it as a site of “international geological significance”.
The Cliffs of Moher were named after an old fort which used to stand at the southernmost point of the cliffed coast on Hag’s Head, which was called Mothar or Moher.
While the fort is no longer there, Moher Tower now stands at that location instead.
Google states that “depending on the day’s mist, the natural beauty that can be seen has inspired numbers of age-old Irish legends: from accounts of mythical cities lost underneath its shores, to a sea witch’s love story that inspired the name of its southernmost point, Hag’s Head”.
“Whether you’re in awe of the breathtaking scenery of the Cliffs of Moher, or simply wearing a bit of green to show your pride, happy St. Patrick’s Day!” Google adds.
Following the outbreak of Covid-19, a multitude of mass gatherings organised for St Patrick’s Day have had to be cancelled.
A day before St Patrick’s Day was due to take place, the Republic of Ireland closed all bars and pubs for a two-week period.
As of Monday 16 March, there were 169 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Republic of Ireland and two people who tested positive have died.
There have also been 45 confirmed cases of the virus in North Ireland.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar stressed the importance of social distancing, particularly in light of the planned St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
“The government is now calling on all public houses and bars (including hotel bars) to close from this evening (Sunday 15 March) until at least 29 March,” the Irish government said in a statement.
“The government is also calling on all members of the public not to organise or participate in any parties in private houses or other venues which would put other peoples’ health at risk.”
A number of St Patrick’s Day celebrations that were due to go ahead have instead been switched to online events that people can take part in remotely.
The hashtag “#StPatricksDayTogether” has been set up in an effort to encourage people to share St Patrick’s Day well-wishes, in addition to pictures of their costumes that they were going to wear for parades, home decorations and baked goods.
In addition to Ireland, St Patrick’s Day is also celebrated around the world, to an especially significant degree in the US.
As can be expected, the St Patrick’s Day parades in America, one of the most notable of which takes place annually in New York, have been cancelled.
While St Patrick’s Day festivities have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, one aspect of the festival’s celebrations has remained in place.
The annual Global Greening, which sees famous landmarks around the world lit up in green to commemorate St Patrick’s Day, is still going ahead.
Tourism Ireland said in a statement that it “contemplated whether or not to go ahead with its Global Greening project this year, given the extremely difficult circumstances faced by our industry”.
“We are deeply grateful to Ireland supporters across the world who, despite unprecedented challenges, are marking St Patrick’s Day and remembering Ireland in a very positive light,” said Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland.
“We hope our Global Greening will bring a little positivity and hope to people everywhere and remind them that, if we all do the right thing now by following advice of our medical experts, this crisis will pass. And, that is something we can all look forward to.”
“We would like to extend our support and solidarity to everyone affected by Covid-19, especially workers in the hospitality sector,” Gibbons added.
