Hobart’s New Sydney Hotel has broken its own record for St Patrick’s Day celebrations, with more than 2,000 people turning out for a weekend packed with Irish festivities.
Owner Ashan Rodrigo said 43 kegs of Guinness were poured over the three-day event, with 32 of them emptied on St Patrick’s Day alone, from when doors opened at 7am until they closed at midnight.
The festivities began on Saturday, featuring live music and a special Irish-themed menu, with classics like shepherd’s pie, Irish spring rolls and Baileys bread and butter pudding.
Sunday saw a quieter, cultural touch, with around 50 people attending an Irish poetry and literature brunch in collaboration with the local Irish society.
By Monday morning, the celebrations were back in full swing, starting at dawn as 110 early risers tucked into a traditional Irish breakfast.
Rodrigo said the hotel has become a key meeting spot for Hobart’s Irish community.
“We want to be amongst the Irish local community and not just be another tacky Irish bar like you see in every city you go,” he told Pulse.
“[People say] that is the most Irish pub they’ve ever been to, just because they don’t feel like we’ve tried.”
“They feel it’s Irish because of the warmth, the way they’re received by the staff and it’s just the feeling … you just can’t explain it.”
The weekend’s tremendous success has inspired Rodrigo to expand the hotel’s celebration of Irish heritage beyond drinking festivities.
“The poetry and literature recital event was something that reignited after a few years and that actually goes to show that St Patrick’s Day is not just about having fun and drinking,” he said.
“There is also a solemn kind of cultural approach to it, where we can contribute to the local society.”
