For some reason, St Patrick's Day hasn't caught on in Prague as it has in other parts of the world. It's not as if there isn't a healthy and long history of Irish emigration to the city - the Charles University once had an Irish rector - but for the most part the Czechs go about their daily business on March 17th oblivious to the main event.
Of course, the Irish bars in the city are going full swing, but even they had problems a few a years ago when they tried to spread the fame of the shamrock. Advertising that they'd be giving out pretend Irish passports to anyone who dropped by for a pint that day, they found themselves swamped by hundreds of people interested less in drinking the health of the St Patrick than in obtaining what they thought were the authentic prized purple booklets.
The highlight in Prague these days is the Wild Geese Ball, organised by the Irish Ambassador. Apart from this annual gathering, the Irish community in the city is pretty dispersed. Some, like myself, have even gone native and it becomes harder year by year to remember what all the fuss is about. Soon I'll stop finding it funny that one of the oldest Irish bars in the city is located in a building named `U svateho Jiri'. Translation? At the house of St George.
Justin Quinn (29) is a poet. He lectures at Charles University in Prague and has lived there for five years.
