6 alternative Irish cities to visit for St. Patrick’s Day

There’s no bigger celebration in Ireland than St. Patrick’s Day (other than perhaps anything to do with reminiscing over Italia ’90…), with half a million people descending on Dublin for the festivities each year.

Looking to mark the occasion on the Emerald Isle without the crowds, or at least one that isn’t quite as heaving? Then you should be heading to one of these six Irish cities.

Known for its artsy, youthful vibe (and as the setting for that Ed Sheeran song), Galway is great to visit year-round, but particularly around St. Patrick’s Day. The city celebrates for three days, culminating in a parade through the centre from 11.30am on Paddy’s Day itself. Each year, the parade has a different theme, and in 2025, it will celebrate Galway’s coastal location and maritime heritage.

Aside from the parade, the events are focused on Eyre Square, with free outdoor concerts, family-friendly activities and traditional Irish music, and for rowing fans, the Galway Head of the River race takes part on Saturday 15 March.

More information: galwaytourism.ie.

Read next: How to spend 3 days in Galway, Ireland

While numerous cities in Ireland are associated with Ireland’s Patron Saint, only Armagh calls itself the ‘home of St Patrick’ as the place where he founded his first large stone church in 445AD, now called the Cathedral Church of St Patrick. While the building has been renovated many times, there has always been a church on the site, and the current building is based on plans dating back to 1268.

There are in fact two churches bearing Saint Patrick’s name in the city – the other being St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral – both of which host services on St. Patrick’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day. You can also join a walking tour between the two churches, learning about the history of Saint Patrick and the two churches. For a longer, self-guided walk, take on The Pilgrim’s Walk, running between Armagh and Saint Patrick’s final resting place in Down Cathedral in Downpatrick.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Paddy’s Day without a parade, and in Armagh, it kicks off at 2pm.

More information: visitarmagh.com

Read next: 8 reasons to visit Ireland in 2025

Ireland’s second city, Cork, certainly knows how to put on a first-rate St. Patrick’s Day celebration. From 14-17 March there are numerous comedy, theatre and events going on across the city, including a celebration to mark 35 years since Ireland first qualified for the world up at Italia ’90.

The main parade, beginning at 1pm on St. Patrick’s Day, showcases the communities who make up the city, which include sporting groups, dance schools and brass bands.

More information: corkcity.ie

You might associate St. Patrick’s Day with the colour green, and while there’s still plenty of that in Killarney’s celebrations, you’ll also see plenty of yellow. More specifically, rubber duck yellow, as 15 March sees the annual rubber duck race to raise money for Down Syndrome Kerry.

2025’s celebrations will also see Ablefest, Ireland’s include music and arts festival with accessible and sensory rest spaces, on 16 March, as well as a parade from 2pm on St. Patrick’s Day.

The medieval city of Kilkenny might be small, but it goes big for St. Patrick’s Day, with four days of celebrations. Learn more about the city’s history on a walking tour from Kilkenny Castle, then embrace Irish culture by listening and watching Irish songs and dances.

The parade kicks off at 1.30pm, and follows a route from John Street to Kilkenny Castle Road.

St. Patrick’s Day parades may have their origins in America, but the very first to take place on Irish soil happened in Waterford in 1903. Each year, you can expect four days of celebrations, with live music, walking tours, whiskey tastings and more.

The parade itself kicks off at 1pm, with traditional Irish dances and music.

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8 reasons to visit Ireland in 2025

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