Arthur Day in Dublin 2010

A couple days ago some familiar music came on the TV. I realized it was a familiar advertisement, a clever one that Dubliners and people across the island of Ireland all got a giggle out of. The ad is for Arthur Day, a new holiday to celebrate Arthur Guinness, the creator of Ireland’s most famous brew. But Arthur Day isn’t until September? The ad premiered in June, just as musical acts for the big day started to be confirmed. So get out your calendars – if you have been looking for a reason to plan a trip to Dublin – what could be better than the annual celebration of Guinness?

The holiday began in 2009 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Guinness. From the creative ads to the incredible amount of tickets sold for events throughout the city (on a Thursday nonetheless) apparently Arthur Day is in full swing preparation mode for the 2010 event. This year’s celebration will take place on September 23 and confirmed musical acts include Snow Patrol and many more. From big names to local Dublin bands, music fans will love how this event combines two of Ireland’s great traditions: Guinness and music.

In 2009 I thought that Arthur Day was just a gimmick to sell a lot of Guinness and extend the weekend. The Irish love any reason to get the weekend started a day early (or keep it going a day longer) and what better reason could there be than Arthur Guinness himself? When the day finally came, my criticisms of gimmickry went out the window after I had a great night. For some of the more famous Dublin City Center pubs tickets were essential, but if you don’t plan in advance, you can join the rest of the locals at one of the hundreds of pubs throughout the city where celebrations are guaranteed to be festive.

To Arthur!

Photo Credit: SXC