St Patrick lights eyes of dragon to open Hong Kong Irish festival

Hundreds of Irish gathered in Tamar Park on the waterfront in Hong Kong on Sunday, overlooked by the imposing government buildings, for this year's St Patrick's Day celebrations.

Once St Patrick followed Chinese tradition and lit the eyes of the dragon and the lion, the annual parade could get under way.

"Between the participants and the audience who came by, maybe 5,000 took part," said Teresa Ryan, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Irish Festival.

“The rain kept off. Last year it rained all day, so it worked out really well.”

Among the 38 groups and 700 individuals taking part were the Wah Yan College Colour Party, bearing the flags of the four provinces and the Irish flag, Chinese drummers, the Hong Kong Gaelic Football Club, the Red Tartan Pipe Band, St Patrick’s School, the St Patrick’s Society of Hong Kong, PCH International and the Trinity College Dublin Alumni.

Music was provided by Irish Town, who are touring South China and includes Frank Owens on bouzouki and vocals, Brendan Larrissey on fiddle, piper Blackie O’Connell and singer, guitarist and bodhrán player Mick Lambe. A highlight will be playing the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, just across the border in mainland China.

“There are a lot of similarities between the Irish and Chinese, seafaring people,” Brendan Larrissey said.

“The success of things like Riverdance and the Chieftains all the way back in 1991 has been a big help. There is an awareness especially on social media. China is the holy grail these days in folk music. Record companies are really interested.”

Also attending was Minister of State for the OPW Sean Canney, who moves on to Macau, then Shanghai and Beijing over the course of the week ahead.

This year the festival featured top Irish animators including animation producer Steve Woods, and chief executive of Moetion Films Moe Honan.

The festival also hosted a number of workshops, featuring woodturning and carving, copper, slate and ogham, block printing and leather crafts.

“They loved the hands-on approach to traditional crafts, they were like sponges. The response was very good,” said Ken Bolger, a slate, copper and ogham writing craftsman.

Master wood turner and carver Joe Laird said the audienc was keen to learn how to use the tools.

“They have all the machines but they had never really done it, never exposed to it. I was buzzing off the response from them, and they were buzzing off it, it was terrific,” said Laird.

Colum Murphy, a wood turner from Skellig Crafts in Co Kerry, described how they were the first foreigners to go to the Construction Industry Training College.

“We shipped the wood from Ireland, we flew it out, and we used all our own natural wood. We couldn’t get a lathe here that was suitable, so we bought it in China, we shipped it down from China and we are going to leave it here to be used,” said Murphy.

The event also hosted designer turned feng shui consultant, Sam McDaid, who hosted a workshop, and leather crafter Julia Miller-Osborne, who ran leather craft making workshops.

Mat Gallagher has been in Hong Kong for three years.

“This is the biggest and best to date. They are getting more into it in Hong Kong, there is a curiosity and by bringing in local schools it’s really helping. And they are learning a bit more about Ireland,” said Gallagher.

After Hong Kong, the festival will move on to the former Portuguese colony of Macau, where there is a small but lively Irish community. For the second year, Macau is having its very own St Patrick’s Day parade, which will take place in Taipa village on March 18th.

“We are trying to build up the awareness of Ireland in Macau, and the parade is a great way of doing this. Last year we had 300 people, and we are expecting a big bump this year,” said Niall Murray, who is founder of the Irish Chamber of Commerce in Macau.

“Macau is really interested in the cultural and creative industries, something that Ireland is very strong in.”