April 2001 - Nr. 4
Down On The Town
by Alexander Oolo
Direct from Frankfurt am Main
St. Patrick’s Day,
German-style
There I was, thinking that this St. Paddy’s I would have to forego the usual celebrations.
Yes, you read right, I honestly dreaded having to make due without "my" beloved parade, with no jigging and blarney to be seen or heard off...
Well, all-the-wonder-of-it!
Would you believe it?
Just
when I gave up all hope, did my eye but scan a small, almost unobtrusive
newspaper ad. It announced, are you ready for this, a full-fledged St.
Patrick’s Party in Frankfurt’s famous Süd Bahnhof Musik-Lokal
(Saturday, March 17th, 2001, 8 p.m.).
Now, that meant we were still short a parade, but would – indubitably - be celebrating Ireland’s Patron Saint, St. Patrick, as part of the Emerald Isle’s annual national holiday.
By the time we got there, say 6 p.m.ish, we were looking at hundreds of lined up people, albeit minus the usual Toronto-type boisterousness (German folks are, at least initially, a tad bit more sedate than Canadians in general).
That alone bode Great Expectations, and, to the delight of most of the attending 900+ Irish-for-a-Day types, no one left the 6-hour long festivities disappointed.
But first there was some partying to be done!
And so, with the help of "Noël Shannon", the "Heartbeats of Ireland", "Celtivc Rhythm", and "Space Violins" a good time was indeed had by all.
Noël was a bald-shaven and wiry sort-a fellow. He featured Irish folk (plus many-a Guinness) at its best by having his guitar and metallic Baritone present one soul-laden song or traditional sing-along ballad after the other.
The Heartbeats picked up where Shannon left off, and presented true traditional musical fare, mixed in with the occasional jig-or-two.
And in-between there was, from-the-waist-on-down of course, the quick-stepping feet of Celtivc Rhythm. Accompanied by the Heartbeats, they brought down the house several times, with the fiddling Space Duo completing this enjoyable evening of Irish spirit.
In the end, that’s surely what it must have been all about.
And so, by the time the singing of the Irish national anthem was complete, every one must have felt a bit of that timelessness that only culture based on traditional roots can remind us of.
It is because of this, namely to showcase the immortal soul of Ireland, that the organizers of this St. Patrick’s upon the Main, Internationales Kulturforum Frankfurt e.V., should be commended for.
Until next year: Erin Go Bragh. (
Culture / Heritage )
Comments to: oolo@echoworld.com
