Story: Public holidays

Celebrating St Patrick's Day

Celebrating St Patrick's Day

Many New Zealanders, both Māori and Pākehā, have Irish ancestry. Roger Norman celebrates St Patrick's Day at O'Hagan's Irish pub in Auckland, on 17 March 2009. In the 19th century some strongly Irish settlements made St Patrick's Day an occasion for Irish nationalist parades, and, along with other patron saints' days, it was a public holiday. Interest in the convivial aspects of St Patrick's Day was revived in the late 20th century, but by then it was no longer a public holiday.

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New Zealand Herald
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Photograph by Richard Robinson

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How to cite this page:

Nancy Swarbrick, 'Public holidays - Celebrating communities', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/32463/celebrating-st-patricks-day (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 20 Jun 2012, reviewed & revised 19 Apr 2023