This will be my first Paddy's Day in Scandinavia. We'll be going to the Loft Bar in Stockholm, which apparently is the place to go. It's owned by a Dutchman, who's married to an Irishwoman, and they dye the beer green there for the day. It seems a bit mad to be dyeing it when a pint costs the equivalent of a fiver a go. And she must have left Ireland a long time ago if she allows her husband to dye the beer. There's no official celebration for Paddy's Day here. No parades, nor anything like that. The Swedes are so politically correct that they don't even celebrate their own national day, in case they offend minority cultures who might feel excluded.
The good thing is that you can bring babies to the bar here, so I'll be bringing my three-month old baby, Luke, to the Loft. They'll be playing music from groups such as The Corrs, who are really big here. They're big into folky music.
I probably won't be wearing green myself, but I'll put something green on my baby, which will do for both of us. And I'll be singing Irish songs and songs with Irish names in them to him that day. Getting him used to the sound of It's A Long Way To Tipperary, for the day when he goes home.
Cathy Gilna (36) is a teacher. She has lived in Stockholm for six months.
