800 people to attend Irish hooley in Beijing

THERE are about 80 Irish nationals living in Beijing and 200 throughout China, just about enough to hold a modest little parade…

THERE are about 80 Irish nationals living in Beijing and 200 throughout China, just about enough to hold a modest little parade along Jianguomen Wai in the Chinese capital to mark St Patrick's Day.

The possibility was actually suggested by some expatriates a couple of months ago. After all Moscow has a St Patrick's Day "Parade. But Beijing is not Moscow, demonstrations here are very sensitive events, and the proposal got nowhere. China is not yet quite ready yet for banners and bands playing When Irish Eyes Are Smiling along its main thoroughfare.

The Irish national day will however be marked in communist China by what is now the biggest event in the foreign community's social calendar. This is the St Patrick's Day Hooley in the Sheraton Great Wall Hotel on Saturday next, with 800 people attending.

There has been hot demand every year for places among Irish, English, Americans, Australians and other nationals since the event was instituted in 1994. Its originator was Peter Logue, a music-loving Derryman married to an Australian diplomat now stationed in Guangzhou in the best-known south, and probably known Irishman in China.

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The Beijing hooley at the Irish traditional music group, De Danann will perform, is being organised this year by individual Irish nationals, mainly Maire (O'Shea) Wagner formerly from Westmeath, who is married to a German businessman, and Chris Williams from Belfast, general manager of Eurochef Asia. Ann Chalkley from Dublin will have an Irish dancing troupe. One Irishwoman in the provinces will undertake a 20-hour train journey to attend.

A big attraction for homesick Irish in China, and other nationals stationed in the Chinese capital, is the draw for a holiday in Great Southern Hotels organised by Aer Rianta International which has seven Irish on a consultancy contract at the duty free shop in Beijing international airport, where Mr Ed Forrest is general manager of Aer Rianta East Asia, Beijing.

The Irish ambassador, Mr Joe Hayes will also host a national day reception in the Irish embassy next Friday for about 350 people, including representatives of the Chinese State Council and members of the diplomatic corps. This event was instituted when diplomatic relations were established 17 years ago.

In Shanghai, O'Malley's, the only Irish pub in mainland China, staged a four-day St Patrick's Day festival, ending today and sponsored by Guinness, with the bar decorated with green balloons and banners.

"There is a free pint to anyone who arrives wearing five different pieces of green apparel," said New Zealand director, Robert Young, "and a free T-shirt for, everyone buying five pints at once." The bar was formally opened in January and business is booming, Mr Young said.

This will be the last St Patrick's Day in Hong Kong under British rule, but that is not expected to affect the future celebrations for the 500 to 1,000 strong Irish community. The annual ball was scheduled for last Saturday night in the Furama Hotel, organised by the St Patrick's Society. It is always an expensive, black-tie, affair - Governor Chris Patten has attended in past years but even with tickets at HK$1,250 (about £100) each, the 800-place event was, as always, sold out. They booked De Danann to play here before going on to Beijing.

There is no St Patrick's Day parade in Hong Kong, just a wreath-laying at the Cenotaph after Mass to commemorate the dead of two World Wars. Whether this will take place next year remains to be seen.