Welcome to the Auckland St Patrick’s Festival Website
Message from Our Patron Rodney HC Walshe
Dia dhaoibh go léir and may 2015 bring you everything you wish for.
As I blissfully relaxed under the summer sun, shining brightly over Mangawhai during the holiday break, for some strange and unrelated reason a line of poetry kept coming to mind… ”Tis the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”.
Strange that, as it’s the only line of “Ode to Autumn” that I can remember from my Dublin High School days, oh so many decades ago!
Perhaps psychologically I was thinking of the seasons of major sporting events that lie ahead in 2015. World Cups in just about every sport with a couple that both Ireland and New Zealand are expected to excel in, if not win (I don’t mean Ireland in the cricket but it would be quite stimulating!) The more I thought, the more I contemplated and my memory of the line of poetry changed shape… “Tis the seasons of misses and hollow fruitlessness”!!
My imagination struggled to cope with what the feeling would be if Ireland failed to do reasonably in the cricket and failed in the rugby, and then my brain went black, not just blank, attempting to cope with what would happen economically, politically, socially, if New Zealand doesn’t at least reach the final of the Cricket World Cup and go to Twickenham and retain the Rugby World Cup. The country would be under a cloud of gloom for the following four years.
So, let’s not look too far into the future, although the cricket is nigh, and get ready for the event of the Irish year, the Emerald Ball, where doom and gloom are utterly absent during an evening packed with joyfulness and absolutely full of the craic.
A resuscitated committee, combining the old and the new, has got together to make this event another one to be remembered. Lots of things are planned, new faces to meet, don’t know yet if there will be a visiting Irish Government Minister, but it’s being worked on, and you will be able to get some celebration practice in for when either a green or a black muscular arm holds aloft at least one of the World Cups.
So, put an emerald circle on the date in your diary, get together with a few others, make up a table or join one with friends, and make this 21st Emerald Ball the best of the best.
See you there. You’ll easily recognise me… I’ll be the one wearing a green bow tie with black shoes. You can’t miss.
Slán
Rodney HC Walshe ONZM
Honorary Consul General of Ireland
Emerald Ball details are:
Friday 13 March 2015, 6.30pm ’til late, The Pullman Auckland
To purchase tickets please Contact Miranda Starck at miranda@crackerjackpromotions.co.nz, 09 377 6191
The 2014 calendar of Events
Sunday 8th March, Auckland Irish Society St Patrick’s Fair Day, 11am to 5.00pm Fowlds Park, Rocky Nook Ave, Sandringham, Auckland
Friday 13th March, The Emerald Ball, 6.45pm to 1.00am, The Pullman, Cnr Princes St and Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland City
Sunday 15th March, Hugh Green Group St Patrick’s Parade, 12.00pm to 1.00pm Queen Street, (from Mayoral Drive to Quay Street) Auckland
Sunday 15th March, Hugh Green Group St Patrick’s Fleadh, 1.00pm to 3.00pm, Market Square, Viaduct Harbour (outside O’Hagans Irish Pub)
Tuesday 17th March, St Patrick’s Day
Our Mission
To deliver to the Greater Auckland Community a world class festival that is professionally organised and presented that promotes and fosters Irish culture and traditions and also reflects the true nature of a progressive, diverse and modern Irish community.
The St Patrick’s Festival is proudly organised by Crackerjack Promotions Limited and wouldn’t be possible without the invaluable support of our Sponsors and Volunteers.
