The Home of Saint Patrick
When asked to name some famous Belgians, the names Hercule Poirot and Tin Tin are often included. It seems a shame then that these are fictional characters. In terms of the most famous Irish character it must be Saint Patrick. Annually, on March 17th thousands of people around the world celebrate the day nominated in his name. In the USA in particular thousands take to the streets in Chicago, Savannah, New York and San Francisco to name but a few cities.
It is surprising therefore that when Irish Americans visit the home country so few visit the place synonymous with Saint Patrick, Downpatrick. I was amazed to find that only 5% of Irish Americans visiting Ireland come to the North. Surely the town which has the burial place of the Saint, his landing place in Ireland and the spot where he preached his first sermon deserves better attention?
The Saint Patrick Centre in Downpatrick is a wonderful place to visit. It tells the story of Patrick in an exciting way and makes it relevant to all ages, young and old. We are getting involved with the Saint Patrick Centre as they seek to build Chapters of the Friends of Saint Patrick around the world. Have a look at their website www.saintpatrickcentre.com, there is a great video which explains it all. Two of the first chapters of Friends of Saint Patrick are in Milwaukee and Minnesota. These groups are working hard to make Saint Patrick relevant to today’s culture. In particular they collected food and donations for the local homeless at the recent Saint Patrick Parade.
One of the roles of Friends of Saint Patrick is to nominate people for the Young Ambassadors Programme. This program brings young people to Downpatrick for a few weeks to learn about the culture, what the place is like and what makes us tick, if that’s possible. They are brought on day trips to a number of beautiful spots in Ireland, write regular blogs telling of their experiences and are even given the opportunity to gain some work experience with local businesses. The Young Ambassadors then return home and spread the word about St Patrick’s country, the most beautiful place on earth! This year’s group have just left after unlocking the secrets of our area. We trust they had a great trip and hope that they can take the work of the Saint Patrick’s Centre forward.
When we move to our new premises in Saul we are going to be included on the Saint Patrick’s trail. As the company who brew the beer of the Saint we are proud to be associated with Saint Patrick and the people who seek to promote his importance and the importance of the area of the country he loved.
Recent visitors from Florida and Atlanta have been amazed by County Down. Why not come and experience it for yourselves. Drop us an email and we’ll introduce you!
