St Patrick’s Day: What are the Cliffs of Moher and how are people celebrating amid thecoronavirus pandemic?

The Cliffs of Moher are one of the most recognisable landscapes in Ireland

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 Ireland is in a national lockdown until April 5 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.

It depicts Ireland’s diverse geography including Ireland’s mountains and forests. One of the country’s most famous natural beauty spots is the Cliffs of Moher.

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.

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While the fort is no longer there, Moher Tower now stands at that location instead.

Currently, pubs and bars are closed in the Republic of Ireland. Parades and festivals which would usually take place around the country on St Patrick’s Day, including in Dublin, will not take place.

Due to Covid-19, a multitude of mass gatherings organised for St Patrick’s Day have had to be cancelled.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has not yet confirmed how restrictions will change on 5 April and has spoken of his hesitancy to reopen Ireland too quickly.

Speaking on Newstalk’s Pat Kenny Show, he said: “We’re going to have to monitor the situation between now and the end of March and make a decision at the end of march as to whether it’s possible to ease any restrictions on April 5.”

Last year, the government announced a two-week closure of pubs and bars due to Covid the day before St Patrick’s Day.

“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.”

Tourism Ireland is holding a virtual pub night on Wednesday, a 90-minute broadcast from three of Ireland’s most famous pubs. The livestream will be hosted by TV presenter Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh and feature Johnnie Fox’s pub in the Dublin Mountains, Dick Mack’s in Dingle and the Duke of York in Belfast.

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, New York City’s St Patrick’s Day parades has been cancelled.

However, the St. Patrick’s Day Mass, which takes place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, will be livestreamed.

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.

New landmarks for this year include the Torre Costanera in Chile, Bled Castle in Slovenia, Cairo Tower in Egypt, Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier in California and the village of Portmeirion in North Wales.

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “This year, in particular, we aim to bring some positivity and hope to our Diaspora across the globe. More than 70 million people around the world claim links to the island of Ireland and St Patrick’s Day is a truly unique opportunity to reconnect them with their heritage.

“At a time when Irish people overseas cannot travel home, we want to shine a green light in as many locations around the world as possible, giving our Diaspora a sense of connection with home and reminding them that we cannot wait to roll out the green carpet and welcome them back, as soon as it is possible to do so.”