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St. Patrick’s Day: Celebrating Boston-Ireland Ties

Steph Sadler

Across the Atlantic, half a million people—including an influx of more than 100,000 tourists—will gather in Dublin this Sunday to watch the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Last year, 4,200 performers, from marching bands to aerial acrobats, filled the air with thrilling energy and excitement.

In Boston, where EdOdyssey was founded, the St. Patrick’s Day celebration is even bigger. Streets will flood with up to a million spectators who will show up to enjoy the 286th annual parade with its distinctive bagpipes, brass marching bands, fife and drum bands, and intricately designed floats. The streets will transform into a sea of green and orange balloons, leprechaun t-shirts, wacky hats, dyed green hair and beards, emerald scarves, and cheeks painted with shamrocks.

Celtic music will continue long into the night, shifting from the daytime parade to the Irish step dancing and performances at Faneuil Hall before carrying its spirited tunes into the cozy, traditional Irish pubs dotted around the city. As usual, revelers can also catch the city’s most famous Celtic punk rock bank Dropkick Murphys at MGM Music Hall. 

Celebrating Irish-Americans 

As we know from past experiences, St. Patrick’s Day in Boston is a lively, uplifting event, and it’s a ton of fun! It brings a diverse community—not only those with Irish roots—together to join in on the festivities.  

But at its core, it is a nod to the city’s Irish heritage and connections, which run deep through Boston’s history. Beyond the cries of “sláinte,” clinking green beers, and the rowdy, joyful crowds, there’s also a recognition of past and present Irish Americans and their many contributions to the city. In fact, as a gesture of solidarity with immigrant newcomers, Bostonians were the first in North America to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day—as far back as 1737.

Many of the earliest arrivals from Ireland came from Ulster and worked as indentured servants. They were followed by a group of “Scots-Irish,” then, in the 1820s, a wave of Irish Catholic immigrants relocated their lives and families to Boston. Immigration continued through the 19th century and beyond, especially as the Great Potato Famine deteriorated the quality of life and caused widespread devastation in Ireland. Much of the City of Boston was built by an Irish workforce, as were many railroads, canals, and the subway system. As time carried on, the Irish community members in Boston became more established as business leaders and in politics – a great example being President John F. Kennedy who was Massachusetts-born and of Irish heritage. 

The St. Patrick’s Day parade snakes through the streets of South Boston where a significant Irish-American community lives today.

Study Abroad: Ireland as a New EdOdyssey destination

With our strong ties to Boston, including through the Boston Area Study Abroad Association where EdOdyssey President Peter McGovern is Co-Chair, we know and love our city and its Irish connections.  

So, we are thrilled to have recently launched Ireland as one of our newest destinations for custom study abroad programs!

Ireland: Why do students love it?

Ireland is always popular with students, especially the so-called “heritage seekers” who are hoping to discover, understand, and form a connection with a land their ancestors called home. As noted in a 2018 report titled “Understanding U.S. Study Abroad in Ireland,” “Ancestry is a significant factor in determining a study destination and of particular importance for Ireland, with an earlier study finding that almost 70% of U.S. students had some degree of Irish ancestry.”

But students also love that Ireland is an English-speaking destination (and the opportunity to learn a little bit of the fading Gaelic language). They love that it’s “different but not too different,” it’s easy to travel through Europe, it’s generally safe and friendly, it has a culture that students perceive as “fun” (because “craic”) and plenty of other reasons! 

Build a custom program with us

If you’re considering taking a cohort of students on a grand adventure, work with us to create a custom program that will let you explore the Emerald Isle with its rolling green countryside hills and mountains, ancient castles, beautiful coastline, and vibrant cities.

Your students will get a sense of what life is really like in Ireland through the eyes of the (famously welcoming) locals, and take a deep dive into the country’s customs, history, and culture far beyond the typical tourist traps. Whether it’s Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Galway, or somewhere a bit different, our team knows Ireland extremely well, has expert local connections, and will work with you to tailor your program to your learning objectives.

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