2019 ST PATRICK’S DAY SPECIAL EDITION
ST PATRICK’S DAY GUIDE
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FOREWORD
AN IRISHMAN ABROAD: A JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY BY PAUL MCNAMARA, EDITOR Having spent many years travelling around trying to figure out what it was that I was supposed to be doing with my life, I suddenly felt at home. Love is all around With all of the excitement and chaos that comes with moving to a new city, I never paused for thought to try and figure out what it was that made me feel this way, but four years later, writing and editing this supplement, I was finally struck – struck by the love I have for the country of my birth and, at the same time, the love I have for my new home. When we started working on this St Patrick’s Day special edition, I realised how long it had been since I had stopped and considered who I was. I moved to Copenhagen just over four years ago, and the very same day I got a job at an Irish bar where I was instantly welcomed and taken in – by both the Irish and Danish alike.
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Finely-blended now I get the feeling that those people I meet aboard think I’m wild-eyed – that I’m going to drink the place dry and tell stories full of love, sorrow and laughter. This is perhaps a stereotype that precedes all Irish people abroad. But it’s different now. The Danish connection I have has added something to the mix. Like a finely-blended whiskey rather than a finely-aged wine, I would say.
The Danish are a people who took me in and celebrated my culture and, at the same time, made me want to be part of theirs.
My future in Denmark and my cultural background are interwoven much like the history of both countries. I can think of no place I’d rather be Irish than Denmark, and working with the people I did to make this supplement has made me realise that.
There are so many things about Denmark that make me very proud to live here. And oſten when travelling abroad, when I tell people I live in Denmark, they have countless questions about the place – and this is only balanced out by the fact that I am Irish and those people expect my Irishness to infect their night.
And so, I’m more excited to celebrate this year’s Saint Patrick’s Day than ever before. And when it’s all done, I’m positive that I’ll have more friends from all over than I had before.
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THE PARADE
EMBRACING THE FEAST DAY ON WHICH EVERYBODY IS IRISH NOW IN ITS 15TH YEAR, THE COPENHAGEN ST PATRICK’S DAY PARADE HAS ESTABLISHED ITSELF AS ONE OF THE CAPITAL’S HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR BY BLAKE REILLY
St Patrick might be the patron saint of Ireland, but on his feast day on March 17 “everyone is Irish!”, according to the organisers of the annual parade through the streets of Copenhagen. With its origins as a 17th century religious festival for feasting, the holiday has grown in international appeal over the years and is now synonymous all over the world with shamrocks, lively parades and overall merriment – an occasion for everyone to enjoy! And for 15 years now, the Copenhagen St Patrick’s Day Parade has been turning the streets awash with green! Going green “The motivation for organising a big event like a parade in Copenhagen was to give the Irish expats living here, along with people from all nationalities who are fascinated by or feel a connection to Ireland, a platform where they can celebrate Ireland’s national day with the whole family at a family-friendly event,” the parade’s co-organiser Marianne Green tells CPH POST. “The ‘Everyone is Irish’ slogan we chose felt right because it is so important for us to invite and engage people who are not familiar with Irish culture or are not Irish and send a message that we can all share and take part in each other’s cultural celebrations across nationalities and culture.” A testament to the cultural inclusivity of the city, each year the celebrations continue to grow as
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Copenhageners delight in a taste of all things Irish. With so much live music, face painting, traditional dancing and Irish coffee to consider, CPH POST is here to give you a rundown of what is planned for the day. Return to Rådhuspladsen The City Hall Square will act as the main location for the festivities. A large tent will be set up in the square to accommodate face painting and a costume shop to buy all the necessary green accessories for the parade, while live entertainment will take place on stage. And, of course, no St Patrick’s Day tent would be complete without an Irish café and bar. The festivities commence at 13:00 with the opening of the café, serving Irish whiskey from Tullamore DEW, Irish beer from O’Hara’s Brewery and hot chocolate. Make sure you try one of the custom made St Patrick’s Day cookies baked specially for the occasion. Free face painting for children will take place inside the tent between 14:00 and 17:00 to make sure they look properly festive! It is important to remember to wear green to the event – but just in case you forget, a costume shop will be open inside the tent where you can buy some last minute shamrock-inspired apparel. Next to the tent in the square, an open air stage will
play host to live folk music and traditional dancing from 15:30 – including a set performed by The Early House – right up until the parade is set to begin. All the best of Irish musical traditions will be there to lend City Hall Square a distinctly Irish tune. Join the parade Anyone wearing green can freely take part in the parade and walk along with the likes of the Gordon Pipes and Drums, the Bodhrán Band and the Dark Green School of Irish Dancing. Ian Burns returns this year to lead the procession as St Patrick himself, and a few four-legged companions in the form of Irish wolfhounds and terriers will follow behind – doubtlessly wagging their tails through the streets of Copenhagen. Make sure you arrive well before 17:00 to secure your spot in the parade – which this year will be officially started by the Irish ambassador, Cliona Manahan – and again, don’t forget to wear green! Starting from Rådhuspladsen at 17:00 the parade will follow a route along Vester Voldgade, Stormgade, Vindebrogade, Højbro Plads, Gammelstrand, Nybrogade, Rådhusstræde, Gammeltorv, Nytorv, Slutterigade, Lavendelstræde and Vester Voldgade, before returning to Rådhuspladsen. THE SCHEDULE - 13:00: Café and bar open - 14:00 - 17:00: Free face painting for children - 15:30 - 17:00: Live on-stage entertainment - 16:00 - 17:00: Participants start gathering - 17:00 - 17:45: Parade duration
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THREE-LEGGED RACE
NEVER HAS SO MUCH THREEFOOTED FUN BEEN HAD FOR SUCH A GOOD CAUSE! WITH HALF A MILLION KRONER IN THEIR SIGHTS, ARE THE ORGANISERS OF THE ST PATRICK’S 3-LEGGED CHARITY RACE IN FOR A RECORD-BREAKING YEAR?
BY BEN HAMILTON For the 19th year, St Patrick’s Day will be celebrated in Copenhagen in typically Irish wacky fashion with the running of the annual 3-Legged Charity Race. Be warned: it isn’t easy. Bar-hopping becomes a hell of a lot harder when you’re tied to your partner and you have to co-ordinate your steps whilst downing half-pints of beer. But for the thousands who have turned up to compete over the years, it is an experience they never forget.
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Five-pub, 3km slog The day starts relatively early, with registration at Kennedy’s Bar and the pre-race party in and outside Axelborg Bodega – two of the seven bars officially involved in the event – starting at 12:00. Aſter registration, the competitors can amble down to Axeltorv in central Copenhagen, where a tent is erected outside Axelborg Bodega to get the pairs tied together for the challenge ahead. It’s time to get the lowdown on the 3km course ahead, on which they will stop off at four ‘pit stops’ – The Shamrock Inn, Pub & Sport, The Globe and Victoria Pub – drinking half a pint at each, before a grandstand finish along Strøget to the finish line at The Dubliner. The rules At each pub, as well as downing half a pint of Carlsberg, the pair must get their scorecard stamped as proof before hobbling on their merry way. The rules are few and simple: participants must complete the race entirely on foot and all teams must wear something green. The race promises to deliver some imaginative costumes, and of course there is a prize for the best-dressed team too! All for a good cause Participation costs a minimum donation of 150 kroner per team. Thanks to the main sponsor Guinness, the entire amount goes to the charities uncut. According to the race organiser and co-founder Siobhan Kelleher-Peterson, the race has never looked back since becoming a fundraising event in 2007. Since then it has raised nearly half a million kroner for charity. “2007 was a big turning point. We had built up a following by then, and charity was always the next step. It made a fun day even more fun,” she told CPH POST. “And then there was our record year in 2012. It was the first time we had The Tent at Axeltorv,
FOR A GOOD CAUSE - The St Patrick’s Day 3-Legged Charity Race event is run by volunteers from the Danish-Irish community. - This year, money will be donated to three charities: Danske Hospitals Klovne on Bornholm, Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice in Dublin, and CCAF – a preschool program in Cambodia. - Since becoming a fundraising event in 2007, the race has raised over 460,000 kroner for various charities. - The event is sponsored by Guinness, which ensures all the donations go to charity uncut. - This year donations from both competitors and well-wishers can be made via MobilePay (71440) between March 9 and 18.
and we had over 600 racers and raised 60,000 kroner. The Tent was jam-packed with everyone singing and dancing. It was magical!” Be early, wrap up warm! Kelleher-Peterson advises participants to get to Kennedy’s Bar early to avoid the disappointment of being told there is no more room. And it is strongly recommended that you wrap up warmly as well – particularly as low temperatures could potentially creep back to Copenhagen aſter a mild February. Nevertheless, at the time of going to press, DMI was forecasting 7 degrees on March 17. “I always smile when I think of St Patrick’s Day 2008, when we woke to a blizzard. I thought it would be a disaster and no-one would turn up,” recalled Kelleher-Peterson. “But when I arrived down at Kennedy’s for the registration I saw them coming – over 200 of them! It was so cold, but we had such a blast, and we raised 21,500 kroner for charity, so it was a really great day.” NEED TO KNOW Sun March 17, 14:30, registration from 12:00 at Kennedy’s Bar, Gammel Kongevej 23, Cph V, race starts at 14:00 at Axelborg Bodega, Axeltorv 1, Cph K; 150kr per team; paddysday.dk
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13:00 Event tent open: Booth with green hats - Irish Coffee - O'Hara's Craft Beer - hot chocolate 14:00 - 17:00 Free face painting for children 15:30 - 17:00 Live Irish folk music and stepdance on outdoor stage
GREEN PARADE at 17:00
St. Patrick - Gordon Pipes & Drums - Irish dancers - Irish dog breeds Start and finish at City Hall Square Dress up in green and take part in the parade. See how at:
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www.stpatricksdayparade.dk ST PATRICK’S DAY GUIDE
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VISIT IRELAND
TOP O’ THE COUNTRY TO YOU
NO TRIP TO THE EMERALD ISLE IS COMPLETE WITHOUT A VISIT TO THIS SELECTION
BY PAUL MCNAMARA Leave the over-hyped Leprechaun Museum in Dublin be and head out into the big outdoors instead. Ireland is much more than its stereotypical charms – it’s a small island with a big heart and jaw-dropping landscapes. We’re confident our recommendations, embracing extraordinary nature and atmospheric urban spaces, won’t disappoint. Welcome to one and all Central to the appeal are the fascinating people, whose warm nature is ably reflected in the wildness of the rugged nature.
Cliffs of Moher
Everything you’ve heard about Ireland is true, but while it’s steeped in history, it continues to write its own story, offering a culture everblossoming in the realms of music, food and the arts. Céad míle fáilte – a hundred thousand welcomes. Dublin City, County Dublin Dublin is home to many things: arguably the best nightlife in the world, a rich history, and culture a-plenty. Both raucous and elegant, the capital continues to attract travellers from around the world to its wild mix of culture, heritage and hedonism.
Aran Islands, County Galway Famed for their knitted jumpers and pretty thatched cottages, the wild landscapes of the Aran Islands will never disappoint. Easily visible from the counties of Clare and Galway, the rocky, wind-buffeted island have a desolate beauty guaranteed to make you fall in love.
Cliffs of Moher, County Clare No trip to Ireland would be complete without a visit to the Cliffs of Moher situated on the wild Atlantic Way. The Cliffs of Moher have majestically faced the Atlantic for over 350 million years and, simply, their beauty is incomparable. It’s Ireland’s most visited place for a good reason.
Ring of Kerry, County Kerry With its rugged islands, white-sand beaches and dramatic mountains, the Ring of Kerry does not disappoint with its raw nature and charming villages. Pro-tip: prepare to be breath-taken by the beauty of Moll’s Gap.
Glendalough, County Wicklow Glendalough or Gleann dá Loch (Valley of the Two Lakes) is one of the most significant monastic sites in Ireland. Carved out by glaciers in the Ice Age, this national park hosts jaw-dropping nature and a 6th century round tower, the surviving remnants of a monastery founded by Saint Kevin.
Glenveagh National Park, County Donegal Ireland’s second largest national park, in the northwestern corner of County Donegal, is a remote and hauntingly beautiful wilderness of rugged, raw nature. Deep within the spectacular Derryveagh Mountains, pristine lakes, wondrous waterfalls and oak woodlands are waiting to be explored.
Dublin City
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Glenveagh National Park
VISIT IRELAND
Ring of Kerry
Glendalough
The Rock of Cashel Skellig Michael
Blarney Castle/Stone, County Cork Reputed to endow the giſt of the gab on those who dare to hang their head off the parapets to kiss it, the stone is not the only reason for visiting Blarney Castle. Standing for over 600 years, the massive building boasts compelling dungeons and towers. Benbulben, County Sligo The area is also known as ‘WB Yeats Land’, as it was the inspiration for much of his poetry. The area contains a walk that starts just four miles from the main man’s grave in a secluded forest area, before offering up absolutely magnificent views of Donegal Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Aran Islands
The Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary Perched upon a limestone rock formation in the Golden Vale, this magnificent group of medieval buildings includes a 12th century high cross in a romanesque chapel, a 12th century round tower, a 15th century castle, and a 13th century gothic cathedral among others. It’s said that this was also once the seat of the high kings of Munster prior to the Norman invasions. Galway City, County Galway Galway City is one of Ireland’s most picturesque cities. Enlivened by its large student population and charismatic locals,
it’s one of the country’s most vibrant, musical and atmospheric places. The pubs, the street buskers and a seafood-driven culinary scene are all jam-packed into this wonderful place. Skellig Michael in County Kerry On this island 11.6 km west of the Ivereagh Peninsula is a well-preserved 6th century monastic settlement. The UNESCO World Heritage site was recently used by the Star Wars franchise as Luke Skywalker’s hideaway. It is home to 23,000 gannets, making it the seabird’s second largest colony in the world, and is Ireland and Europe’s most westerly point. Galway City
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Publisher: CPH POST • Editor: Paul McNamara • Publisher: CPH POST • Editor: Paul McNamara • CEO: Hans Hermansen • Layout: Christian Wenande • CEO: Hans • Info: hans@cphpost.dk • Tel: +452420 2411 Hermansen • Layout: Christian Wenande • Info: hans@cphpost.dk • Tel: +452420 2411
A TO Z OF IRELAND
A-Z OF IRELAND: CELEBRATING THE ECCENTRIC WORLD OF THE EMERALD ISLE FROM JOE DOLAN TO COLEEN NOLAN, IF THIS LOT DOESN’T GET YOU IN THE MOOD FOR DANCING, NOTHING WILL
BY PAUL MCNAMARA A is for the Angelus, the most familiar sound in Ireland … aſter a car alarm. Televised twice a day, the Angelus bells are rung to remind the nation of the incarnation. Since 1950, a one-minute recording has been broadcast daily at 12:00 and 18:00 – the latter just before the main evening news. Originally a recording made at Saint Mary’s Pro-Cathedral – the seat of the archbishop of Dublin – the religious imagery visuals were removed in 2009, confirmation that Angelus today is a very lengthy dinner bell. B is for Bloomsday on June 16, an occasion oſten overshadowed by St Patrick’s Day but growing in popularity. Named aſter Leopold Bloom, the main character in James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’, participants dress up in Edwardian costumes to retrace Bloom’s routes around Dublin, visiting all the landmarks in the book. A pub in Copenhagen of the same name had a similar crowd: expats dressed liked it was still the 1990s who always got lost returning home. C is for Craic, the Irish word for fun, a relatively new addition to the Irish language (circa 1960s), and its usage is as addictive as its namesake drug. As Damien McNamara from Tallaght in Dublin explains: “It can just about be squeezed into any sentence ranging from greetings, put-downs and compliments to even ordering food.” D is for Dolan, as in “there’s no show like a Joe show” Dolan, Ireland’s answer to Cliff Richard (without the accusations of impropriety), who had number one hits in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s
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and 1990s, but virtually no success (just like Cliff) outside his home country. Joe is the only person to have sold a body part on eBay – a hip bone to raise money for charity. E is for the Eurovision Song Contest, a competition that Ireland has shamefully taken too seriously over the last 50 years, winning it a record seven times, including three on the trot in the 1990s, which resulted in substantial hosting duty costs threatening to derail Ireland’s economic revival. Since then their entries have been deliberately bad. F is for feck, as in feck off, which is very different from being told to f##k off. G is for Gaeltacht, the name given to primarily Irish-speaking regions. The term was officially recognised during the 1920s in the early years of the Irish Free State, following the Gaelic Revival, as part of a governmental policy aimed at restoring the Irish language. Saying it correctly is half the battle. H is for Hibernian, Ireland’s name in ancient times, a place so sodden and depressing that even the Romans didn’t fancy it. The legend has it that it was infested with snakes – resulting in hundreds of years of serpentine servitude until Paddy the herdsman drove them out and they made him a saint. “The more cynical among us believe that they all drowned ‘cause of all the rain,” contends Stephen Ball, who has been living over here since 1986 and is the former treasurer of Copenhagen Celtic, a thriving football club
founded by Irish expats in the early 1980s. I is for Irish mile. Today normally used to sugar-coat an imprecise distance of just over one mile or just under two, or if it’s just under three miles, then two Irish miles … you get the idea … but historically it’s a defined measure of exactly eight Irish furlongs – approximately 2,240 yards, or 2.048km. J is for Jack Charlton, the first foreign manager of the Republic of Ireland football team, who more than earned his honorary citizenship when he fell asleep during an audience with the Pope in 1990. Granted, reaching the quarter-finals at that year’s World Cup might have been taken into account, as well as beating England at Euro 1998 and Italy in 1994. But then Jack fell down and broke his crown, and it’s all been downhill since. K is for kinship, as 70 million people worldwide claim to be descended from the Emerald Isle: incredible when you consider that the population of the Republic of Ireland is only 4.784 million. The Americans are the worst culprits, fuelled no doubt by an obsession with genealogy and having a better community than the Italians. In contrast, only 123 people claim to be English and half of these live on Pitcairn Island and are descended from the same man. L is for Lisdoonvarna, a small town in County Clare with a population of less than 800 people that has become very famous for its music and festivals. Among them is one of Europe’s largest match-making events, which attracts
A TO Z OF IRELAND
up to 40,000 people over a month-long period. M is for Molly Malone, the subject of the world’s most popular song and also a famous statue that is known locally as The Dish with the Fish and The Dolly with the Trolley. The song tells the tale of a fishmonger who worked and died young on the streets of Dublin. Legend also has it that there was a historical Molly who lived in the 17th century and was a hawker by day and prostitute by night – which might explain why the statue is also referred to as The Tart with the Cart and The Trollop with the Scallop. N is for Anne, Denise, Maureen, Linda, Bernie and Colleen – the Nolans. In 1979, a long, long time before girl bands, when it was more about talent than looks, some pretty ordinary looking sisters told the world they were in the mood for dancing. They are huge in Japan (but isn’t everybody) where they have sold more records than The Beatles. O is for O’Donnell as in ‘Wee’ Daniel O’Donnell, the first artist to have a different album in the British charts every year for 25 consecutive years – bet you didn’t know that! [Know that? Nobody in the office had ever heard of him, Paul]. P is for Póg mo thóin – which literally means kiss my ass. A play on these words was used for the seventh and final studio album by The Pogues: ‘Pogue Mhone’. Q is for Quinn, Niall Quinn, possibly Ireland’s nicest man. He was a successful football player, scoring 21 times for his country in 92 internationals, but today he is better known for his off-the-pitch generosity. He famously donated the proceeds from his testimonial to charity and once paid the taxi fares of a group of supporters from Bristol to Sunderland aſter they had been thrown off a plane for singing a song about him. As the Sunderland crowd oſten reminds him: “Niall Quinn’s taxi cabs are the best. So shove it up your arse Easyjet. Fat Fred wouldn’t do it for the Mags. Niall Quinn’s taxi cabs!”
R is for Roche – as in Stephen, the cyclist who astounded Ireland to win the 1987 Giro D’Italia and Tour de France. Roche owed part of his success to extreme good fortune, and no, it wasn’t a four-leafed clover. Greg LeMond, the overwhelming favourite to wear yellow in Paris, was shot whilst out turkey hunting by his uncle – not Roche’s uncle, we hasten to add, although brother Lawrence and son Nicolas were also pro cyclists capable of making a quick getaway over wooded terrain. S is for Bram Stoker, who was born in 1847 in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin. Aſter studying mathematics at university, he wrote his first book aged 32, named ‘Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland’, a book so boring it sucked the blood out of anyone who read it. Years later, his widow, who dated Oscar Wilde before marrying Stoker, ended up successfully suing the makers of the first-ever Dracula film, ‘Nosferatu’, for not seeking her permission. T is for Taoiseach and Tánaiste, the head of government and the deputy. They sound fancy at state occasions and give foreign visitors an understanding of what it’s like to be misunderstood half the time when they try to say them. U is for Ulster, which along with Munster, Leinster and Connacht, makes up the four provinces that the island of Ireland is divided into. People oſten get very confused that a country can be inside a province, but Northern Island is part of Ulster, as there are three Ulster counties in Ireland. In all there are six counties in NI and 26 in the republic. V is for Van the Man, the great Irish singersongwriter, instrumentalist and record producer George Ivan Morrison, a one-time resident – you couldn’t make stuff like this up – of the Copenhagen suburb of Vanløse. He lived there from 1980 until 1983 and even penned a song entitled ‘Vanløse Stairway’. W is for Keith Wood, perhaps Ireland’s best ever rugby forward: a hooker of outstanding
talent and tenacity, whose bald-headed appearance earned him the nicknames ‘The Raging Potato’ and ‘Uncle Fester’ from The Addams Family. He was capped 58 times for Ireland (most of these as captain) and five times for the Lions – playing a huge part in their last successful tour, in South Africa in 1997. X is for x-rated moments in Irish sport. From Pat Bonner’s howlers in the 1990 and 1994 World Cup finals to the injury time concession of a try against eventual champions Australia in the 1991 Rugby World Cup quarter final, Ireland have a habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Why couldn’t they have shown the poise and cheek of Eamonn Coghlan, the Irish 1983 World Champion in the 5,000 metres? As he passed the long-term leader on the final bend with a pack of runners closing down on him, he paused for a couple of seconds to survey the poor guy before speeding off to victory. Now that’s poetry in motion. Y is for Yeats, as in William Butler Yeats – the Nobel Prize winner for literature in 1923, who also served as a senator of the Irish Free State for two terms. Upon his death he had a bizarre request: ‘If I die bury me up there [at Roquebrune] and then in a year’s time when the newspapers have forgotten me, dig me up and plant me in Sligo.” Yeats died in 1939 and he was duly buried in France, but then World War II broke out, and he had to wait a further nine years before his body was ferried over to Ireland. Z is for Zombie, a 1994 song penned by Irish band The Cranberries about the 1916 Easter Rising and arguably one of the best protest songs ever. A classic, and given how it commemorated events that dragged British troops away from the front line, it was understandably number one in Germany.
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IRISH-DANISH RELATIONS
DANISH-IRISH CONQUESTS: PILLAGING, PUBS AND THE PADDY’S DAY PHENOMENON THE TWO COUNTRIES HAVE A LOT IN COMMON – AND THIS CAMARADERIE WAS NO MORE EVIDENT DURING THEIR 2018 WORLD CUP PLAYOFF BY BEN HAMILTON Denmark and the Republic of Ireland have a lot in common. There’s the constant rain, of course, and their love of beer, and even Hamlet, who was originally Irish apparently. They have similar populations (5.7 vs 4.8 million) and are part of bigger regions (Scandinavia and the British Isles) of which they like to think they’re top boys despite being outnumbered (by the Swedes and the English). Talking of which, they’re big exporters to the UK (of bacon and people) and, as we found out last November, they love their footy, even though they’re better at other sports (handball and Gaelic varieties). Viking conquest The countries have a shared history that goes back over a millennium. This was brought to the fore over the summer of 2007 when
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the Sea Stallion, the Viking Ship Museum’s reconstruction of a longboat, arrived in Dublin aſter completing a six-week, 1,000-mile voyage from Roskilde. Based on a wreck discovered in Roskilde Fjord, the original vessel was made in ‘Dubhlinn’ in around 1042 when the Irish capital was a mere Viking trading fort. The 65-member crew spent most of their time on deck exposed to the elements and soaked to the skin. The Vikings are believed to have first invaded Ireland in 795 on Rathlin Island off the northeast coast – as was oſten the case, the first victims were monks at a monastery. The pillaging continued sporadically over the next two centuries as the Vikings began to occupy, initially close to the shore, and then inland, particularly as it became clear there were
more monasteries to loot. Between 849 and 852, we have our first historical reference to a different kind of Viking: the Dane. But the Irish enjoyed their fair share of victories, and eventually Brian Boru, a ruler from Munster, saw them off in 1002 – seemingly for good – but then another Viking victory in 1014 led to another period of Scandinavian rule. Denmark’s culture minister, Brian Mikkelsen, took the arrival of the Sea Stallion as an opportunity to apologise! “In Denmark we are proud of this ship, but we are not proud of the damage to the people of Ireland that followed in the footsteps of the Vikings,” he told the crowds who had gathered at the dockside.
A TO Z OF IRELAND
Trade wars Following the Viking exodus, it wasn’t until the 20th century that the two countries started to come into close contact again – particularly as the British ruled Ireland until 1922. Nevertheless, there was a trade rivalry between the two in the 19th century – particularly with regard to bacon, eggs, and butter. And following its independence, Ireland realised it could learn from Denmark in its bid to stand on its own two feet. “Denmark is not only a smaller country than Eire but her climate is less equable, her soils are, in general, lighter and poorer, she has no coal and no water power to compensate for its absence, nor has she any iron ore or other metallic ores to serve as a basis for industrial activities,” commented the Irish historian JP Beddy in 1943. “Yet, in comparison with Eire, she has a bigger population, a greater agricultural output, a more extensive industrial system, a larger foreign trade, a lower national debt, a higher national income and a better standard of living.” Both countries went on to join the EU in 1973, along with the UK. Inn to stay In recent years, Ireland’s biggest export to Denmark has been pubs. When the Shamrock Inn opened its doors near Axeltorv in 1989, it became Scandinavia’s first Irish pub. Its landlady Eileen Bruun De Neergard told CPH POST in 1999 how Guinness did not even have a Danish agent back then, meaning she was forced to make frequent visits to procure supplies of the brew. The next pub on the scene that is still going strong today was the Dubliner on Strøget. Its Scottish landlord Gus Brown first visited Copenhagen in 1986, when he was given a job at Burger King by Charlie Scott (who today runs a bar under his name on Skindergade). And then on a trip to Sweden to watch Euro
1992 he entered the Dubliner in Gothenberg where he met his future business partner, Ian McGlinchey. The pair started working together and heard about a special building in Copenhagen. Formerly it had been a HäagenDazs ice cream parlour. Back then, there was no nightlife in the centre of town, so it was by no means easy drawing in the punters when it opened in 1995. The Globe on Nørregade is the city’s third oldest ongoing Irish pub. Like the Dubliner, it has only had one landlord, Brian McKenna, who has been craicing the whip since 1997. A passing Dane saw something in the 22-yearold manager of McCormacks in Dublin and enticed him into setting up a pub in Budapest. Two years later the pair found a multi-level premises with numerous nooks and crannies that was being used as an Indian restaurant. Using their ingenuity, the pair created a distinctive pub complete with a 35-foot high tree and a main bar area constructed out of old church furniture. Nevertheless, the first half year was tough and it wasn’t until the 1998 World Cup that the word started to spread. More Irish pubs have since followed: most notably Kennedy’s at the Vesterbro end of the Lakes (2000) and the Irish Rover on Strøget, which was set up in 2004 and run by former Dubliner bar manager Jonno Farrelly until his untimely death in March 2017. Both of the pubs will probably echo Brown’s sentiment that international customers will never be enough. He estimates that English-speakers only account for 10 percent of his trade, with Danes making up around 65 percent. Paddy’s invasion Nobody can under-estimate the role the pubs have played in making St Patrick’s Day on March 17 such a huge event. It’s impossible to avoid the multitude of green in the city centre thanks to the success of the 3-Legged Race and the Parade.
competitors run from pub to pub, drinking a beer at each pitstop, was founded in 2001 by Garrett McKeon, Desmond Carswell and Siobhan Kelleher-Petersen, who continues to take charge to this day with help from big brother John, a two-time winner and current quizmaster at the Globe. In 2003 it experimented with being the 3-legged Spud n Spoon Bar race, but otherwise the formula hasn’t changed much since the first year. The number of competitors certainly has though: from 18 pairs in 2001 to over 300 today. Aſter the 2008 race was run in a blizzard, a time limit was introduced, and since 2007 it has raised over 400,000 kroner for charity. The parade, meanwhile, started in 2005. Traditionally, three hours of aſternoon entertainment at Rådhuspladsen, the city hall square, climaxes with the walking of a procession through the city centre’s streets, always with St Patrick himself (either Ian Burns or Tom McEwan) at the front. Everyone is welcome to participate, providing they are wearing some green! Its co-organiser Marianne Green was among the founders, and last year she told CPH POST how it quickly became a truly international affair following its first year. “When it first started it was mostly people we knew through Irish cultural activities and friends and families of those that got involved,” she said. “However, we launched it as an international event from the beginning and had ambitions for it to develop as such. This was very well received by the Danish press and it quickly grew and became a popular event.”
The 3-Legged Charity Race, in which tied
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HISTORY
MARCH 17: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY BY BEN HAMILTON 45 BC: Julius Caesar, conqueror of Britain and eternal friend of the Irish, chalks up another victory, this time against Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda, but the clock is ticking and the old fella only has another 363 days to live. 180: Emperor Marcus Aurelius dies: a cracking day for his son Commodus, but not good for Maximus Decimus Meridius – commander of the armies of the north, general of the Felix Legion, and loyal servant to the true emperor – who becomes a father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and decides he will have his vengeance in this life or the next. 461: Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, dies. Although the year is disputed, the date is definitely not. 1040: Harold Harefoot, one of the few Danes to rule England, dies. His father, Cnut, was the one who ordered the sea to retreat – God knows what he would have
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made of Janteloven. Harold is succeeded by his brother Harthacnut, who as his name implies was only half as big a twat as his dad. 1737: The Charitable Irish Society organises the first ever St Patrick’s Day parade in …. Boston, USA. Ireland eventually follows suit in the 19th century. 1762: New York hosts is first procession – a parade that has subsequently gone on to be the world’s largest with 150,000 participants, two million spectators, and five hours of marching. Some Irish soldiers serving in the English army march through the city, play some music and grumble about the weather. 1780: George Washington grants the soldiers of Irish descent under his command the day off “as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence”. It was wishful thinking from the king of revolutionaries as they have to wait another 141 years. 1861: The kingdom of Italy is proclaimed, an excuse you might think for American-Italians
to have their own parades. Not anymore; the Italian monarchy lasted just 85 years, surviving a coup by Mussolini before accepting the country’s declaration as a republic in 1946. 1880: Captain Oates, the Antarctic explorer, is born. 1888: A cartoon appears in Harper’s Weekly presenting a scene from a St Patrick’s Day parade in New York City. It depicts the double standards of an American of Irish descent frowning at the thought of celebrating a saint who wasn’t even born in Ireland. He inexplicably tells a passing woman that Patrick was French. So, useless at history as well as geography. 1905: Franklin D Roosevelt keeps it in the family when he marries his distant cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt, in New York City. Another cousin, the current president Theodore Roosevelt, gives Miss Roosevelt away. 1912: After a few renditions of Happy Birthday, Captain Oates, the Antarctic explorer, tells the polar expedition: “I am just
HISTORY
going outside and may be some time.” Anything to escape Captain Scott’s singing.
and name him aſter St Patrick, not because, as some have claimed, they like Chinese food.
1937: Dublin hosts the first parade held in a free Ireland. Annually the parade attracts an attendance of 500,000.
1984: The start of the Oxford-Cambridge boat race is delayed by a day aſter the Cambridge vessel collides with a barge and sinks. Apparently the boat’s cox, who is only 163cm tall, failed to see the barge due to a view obstructed by the protruding chins of the rowers.
1939: Giovanni Trapattoni is born, and 70 years later the Italian would echo the disgust of millions of fans worldwide when a deliberate Thierry Henry hand-ball prevents the Republic of Ireland from qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. He brings quirky habits – such as sprinking holy water (a steady supply from his sister, a nun) in the dugout – and a level of English that even the Irish can’t understand (‘Trappish’ according to the local media). But all is forgiven when Ireland qualify for Euro 2012 – their first major tournament for 10 years. 1940: There is no St Patrick’s Day. No, not because of the war, but because of a clash with Palm Sunday, causing the Catholic church to move the day to April 3. In 2008, another clash with Holy Week switches Paddy’s Day to March 15. Fortunately no more clashes are expected until 2160, by which time Christianity will be ... 1949: Patrick Duffy, the American actor best known for playing Bobby Ewing in the US soap ‘Dallas’, is born in a conventional delivery room, unaware that he will one day be reborn in a shower scene. Duffy, who converts to Buddhism in the 1970s, unsurprisingly sees nothing wrong with the reincarnation storyline, despite the fact it writes an entire series off as a dream and costs half the cast their jobs. 1949: Former Arsenal assistant manager Pat Rice is born in Northern Ireland. His parents show their allegiance to the old country
1992: Moscow hosts its first ever parade, featuring Russian marching bands, Cossack horsemen and 15 floats representing Russian businesses. And Boris Yeltsin falls over attempting the Riverdance. 1995: British gangster Ronnie Kray dies aſter a career in which he committed every crime in the book, including murder, extortion and sleeping with men – an offence in Britain until the passing of the Sexual Offences Act in 1967. A year earlier Ronnie had shot George Cornell in the Blind Beggar in Whitechapel for calling him a “fat poof” out of fear that Cornell was going to grass him up to the authorities for being a homosexual. Once inside, buggery is made legal, which might explain why the penal authorities decided Mad Ron should share a cell with Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe in Broadmoor. 1999: The International Olympic Committee expels six of its members following a bribery scandal, apparently over its decision to grant official Olympic status to drug taking. Although initially controversial, it goes on to be the event’s most popular discipline.
of the best places in the world to spend the day. 2008: The Three-legged Race is run in a blizzard and several competitors get lost, eventually finishing hours later. The organisers respond by introducing a limit – not on the consumption of beer (perish the thought), but on the finishing time. 2011: Never one to shy away from a thematically strong lead story, the Copenhagen Post reports the news the whole of Denmark has been dreading for over 400 years with the headline “Alas poor Mick, I thought I knew myself”. It turns out Hamlet wasn’t based on the story of a Danish prince aſter all, but an Irishman by the name of Admlithi. As his story crossed over the North Sea, he became known as Amlothi and then Amleth – the name used by Saxo Grammaticus in the 12th century work ‘Gesta Danorum’. 2013: The Little Mermaid joins the party, turning green for the occasion along with the likes of the Pyramids and the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio. 2018: Ireland make it a perfect St Patrick’s Day by beating England at Twickenham to win the Six Nations grand slam. Their hosts might have had home advantage, but Ireland had a saint on their side, and nobody wanted to disappoint the birthday boy.
2001: The inaugural St Patrick’s Day Three-legged Race is run. The event is declared an instant success by competitors who started with three legs but pretty much all finish legless. 2005: The St Patrick’s Day Parade joins the party. Brian McKenna, the landlord of The Globe, an Irish pub on Nørregade, threatens to turn the canals of the city green for the day. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Copenhagen is emerging as one
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FOOD
STEW FOR SEAN Take the leſtover roast and assess the damage. To make a decent Irish stew to feed the family, you’re going to need at least two handfuls of lamb. Shred every piece of meat, put the bone into a saucepan of water with vegetables, simmer and reduce. The bigger the bone, the better the stock. You might find that you need to top it up with lamb or vegetable stock.
FORGET YOUR LUCKY CHARMS:
THESE RECIPES ARE MAGICALLY DELICIOUS The problem with St Patrick’s Day is that it always falls during the 40 days of Lent, in which the consumption of meat is prohibited.
Potatoes and other veg Nevertheless, the potato-heavy Colcannon tends to please most Irish diners.
This means that of the three traditional recipes below, good Catholics are only permitted to make one of them before Good Friday!
Aſter all, Irish food has been described as falling into three categories: before the potato, aſter it arrived and aſter it failed.
However, the church has been known to make an exception on St Patrick’s Day – with good old bacon and cabbage being the most popular choice.
And it’s fair to say that over the past 30 years Ireland has really started to capitalise on its abundance of fresh ingredients to fashion something of a culinary revolution.
BACON & CABBAGE FOR BRIANA & CIARA
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and slice them. Add them and any other raw vegetables to the sieved stock and boil them. The great thing about this process is the margin for error. Overcook them and it’s not a disaster; if anything, it will give the stock more body. Near the end of the process, add the leſtover roast vegetables (chopped), the meat and the peas, and season to taste. So, while most chefs are by now probably throwing up their arms at the amateurish nature of this recipe, who who honestly cares providing it
- Loin of Bacon - 2 medium-sized, quartered white onions - 1 stick of celery, 2 large carrots - 1 small cabbage or ½ large one - ¼ cup of butter - ground cloves, salt, and pepper - teaspoon of honey + wholegrain mustard
As soon as oven door is closed, place shredded cabbage in a saucepan with the cup of broth from the meat and the butter. Stir the cabbage and add pepper and salt. When the liquid has all boiled off, the cabbage is ready.
Simmer the meat (corned beef: 25 minutes per half kilo; bacon: 20 mins/half kilo plus 15 mins). Allow scum to form and then replace water, adding vegetables once returned to simmer. Once the meat is cooked, remove
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The dish is oſten served with mashed potatoes or ‘champ’ (essentially mashed potatoes with some spring onions, served as a mound with a pool of butter in the middle). Parsley sauce and/or mustard sauce also make good additions.
tastes good. This dish should be completely idiot-proof, not some version dreamed up by a ponce that requires fillet. Bon appétit!
Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium-high heat in another saucepan. Once the butter is completely melted, add the cream and kale or cabbage. Cook until the kale is wilted, stirring occasionally (about three to five minutes).
Mix the honey, cloves and mustard together and smear over the meat. The meat should then be leſt for at least 30 minutes, but preferably several hours. Place meat into a 200-degree oven and roast for half an hour.
- Leftover lamb roast - Potatoes, plenty of them - Peas, frozen - Lamb stock cube (a vegetable one will do) - Several carrots, leeks - Salt and pepper to taste which ensures all the donations go to charity uncut.
COLCANNON FOR CONNOR
and lightly towel to dry it. Discard the vegetables. Retain one cup of broth for later.
INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS - 2 lbs potatoes - ¼ cup butter - 3 cups of kale (or shredded cabbage) - 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced - 1 cup cream - Salt and pepper to taste
Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Place them in a medium-sized pot and cover with enough water to leave a few centimetres at the top. Salt lightly and bring the water to a boil on top of the stove. Cook until potatoes are tender. Drain the pan and set aside.
Then add the green onions and cook a minute further. Combine the greens mixture and the potatoes in the medium-size pot. Reduce the heat and mash the potatoes into the greens using a potato masher or large fork. Avoid the urge to use an electric mixer as this will make the potatoes too smooth and gluey – you want the potatoes to be soſt, but still retain some shape. Season the dish with salt to your liking, and serve while still hot with a pad of butter in the middle of each serving. Enjoy!
MUSIC
is the dissimilar method of playing in that provides the distinction. This said, regional styles can vary as much as the dialects across the country. Where fiddlers from North Donegal are typically ‘aggressive’ in their approach, musicians from East Derry have a style described as ‘ornate’. It was, however, the Sligo tradition that first became popular in America, and it is the style that is most familiar to outsiders.
FROM BODHRÁN TO BONES – THE STAPLES OF IRISH MUSIC FROM MULTIPLE EUROVISION WINS TO POPULAR FOLK GROUPS LIKE THE DUBLINERS AND THE CHIEFTAINS, IRELAND HAS ALWAYS PUNCHED ABOVE ITS WEIGHT WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC
BY CPH POST From Bono, Enya and Dana to U2, Boyzone and Westlife, Irish music rarely strays far from its two-syllable range. When it does – think Sinead O’Connor (sorry … Shuhada’ Davit), Shane MacGowan and Bob Geldof – it oſten courts controversy, blurring the lines between music and politics. Aſter all, favourite son Johnny Logan has four syllables, and Jedward two – so as a theory, it’s all kinds of nothing. Music in their blood Where there’s no debate is what constitutes traditional Irish music, and below we have done our best to identify the six key instruments to producing that sound. As the popularity of bands like The Dubliners and Dervish suggests, it is a style of music the world never tires of – music that speaks volumes about the culture and values of the country it stems from. As the likes of Danish-Irish musicians LOC (Liam O’Connor) and Lukas Forchhammer will agree, music is in their blood. The bodhrán (pronounced bow-ran) is oſten referred to as the heartbeat of Irish music. However, despite this rather vital sounding role, the instrument didn’t actually become a major component in Irish music until the
1940s. Before that time the drum certainly existed in Ireland, though without inclusion into popular music. It’s a rather simple drum, described by some as ‘a poor man’s tambourine’. It consists of a wooden frame, usually around 20 inches in diameter, which is covered in stretched goatskin. A tipper, cipin or beater is the name given to the double headed stick that is used by bodhradoirs (bodhrán players) to create its dull-sounding beat. The bones – literally bones but oſten pieces of wood these days – are used to provide a rhythmic beat similar to the bodhrán. Traditionally, sheep bones were the most popular in Irish music, and though there are different varieties and styles, the Irish tradition is particularly unique. For instance, while North American players typically use two hands, the Irish style uses just one hand. The bones are reputed to be the second-oldest instrument in the world, next to the human voice. Though the bones technique probably got to the US via Irish and other European immigrants and went on to influence the likes of the blues, their history can be traced back to ancient China, Greece and Rome. The fiddle is one of the most integral instruments in the traditional repertoire of Irish music. Although the instrument itself is fundamentally identical to the violin, it
Although not traditionally Irish – having made its way to Ireland via returned emigrants from the US, where it had been developed by African slaves – the four-string tenor banjo is played an octave below that of the fiddle. In Irish music, it is rarely strummed and almost always played using a plectrum or a thimble. Barney McKenna of The Dubliners is oſten credited with paving the way for the banjo’s popularity. The rise in the tenor banjo’s popularity in Ireland was in part due to the implementation of the Public Dance Hall Act of 1935, which in the long term gave rise to larger dance halls and the céilí. The tenor banjo fitted right in because it could project above the louder musical noise. The harp is the earliest musical instrument mentioned in Irish literature and is one of the official symbols representing Ireland. The nation’s passports, stamps and coins proudly display the instruments, and every bottle of Guinness boasts the harp emblem on its label. Harp music itself was initially favoured by Ireland’s upper classes, and skilled players were accorded great reverence. Yet when the Gaelic aristocracy collapsed, Irish harp music essentially found itself dead. It was not until the 20th century’s revivalist movement that the instrument again found a prominent place in Ireland’s musical scene. Modern versions of the harp are now incorporated into the songs of the folk and dance traditions, with a recent resurgence of interest in the clairseach (tradition harp) being seen. It is said that a piper must spend seven year learning to play the Uilleann pipes, seven years practising, and seven years playing them before they can be considered true masters. A type of Irish bagpipe, the Uilleann pipes (pronounced ill-in or ill-yun, depending upon local dialect) were developed around the beginning of the 18th century, with their modern form arriving in 1890. They descend from the great Irish warpipes or píob mhór , as they were originally called. They are one of the most complicated forms of bagpipe and are almost always played sitting down. Oſten heard alone, they also play a prominent role in a form of Irish instrumental music called Fonn Mall. ST PATRICK’S DAY GUIDE
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TRIPLE BLEND
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