St. Patrick’s Day Childhood Memories

March 14, 2014

The Riverdance crew just rolled into Vienna! And we are very excited to share not only our talents, but some St. Patrick’s Day cheer with the locals. As someone working in an Irish Company, this is always an exciting time of year for me. But that got me thinking, what does St. Patrick’s Day mean to other people? And what kind of experiences or traditions might people have? So I asked around.

First up was Nicola Dempsey,  Dancer, from London, England

“When I was little, I used to dance at the Croydon Irish Center with my dance school. My Gran, Anne Dempsey, was the chairperson. We also performed at other school/church fetes.”

Patrick O’Mahoney, Dancer, from Kerry,Ireland

“I used to always dance in the parades at home. One time, when my cousin was in preschool, I dressed as a clown and my cousin was in a shopping trolly. I had to push her from one end of town to the other.

We also used to always wear the clovers on our jumpers, the real ones, not those fake clovers.”

Peta Anderson, Dancer from Sydney, Australia

“St. Patrick’s is a celebration of the Irish culture, and as many Australians come from the Irish past, the Australians celebrate this day like no other. Although the Guinness doesn’t quite taste the same, the history, dance and music come alive “down under”! And apart from a hot sunny day, you’d be mistaken you’re in Ireland. However, I can’t wait to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the amazing musicians and dancers in a city like Vienna, what a memorable experience!”

To me, performing with Riverdance in Chicago on St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite memories. I’ll never forget walking out of the Hard Rock into a sea of green, or the color of the dyed green river. To this day, that was one of my favorite audiences to perform in front of. I wonder what the Viennese have to offer!

Michael Wood is the shows Baritone Singer and Tapper.