St Patrick's Day has always been the day for the Irish in Australia. On 17 March 1795 there were rowdy festivities among the Irish convicts, and the cells were filled with prisoners. Later the occasion gained in respectability, marked by formal dinners attended by the colonial elite, many with no Irish connections.
By the early 20th century, parades were held in capital cities and rural centres. These were demonstrations of connections with an Irish Catholic past, or support for Irish political causes.
Today, St Patrick's Day in Australia has evolved into a fun day marked by revelry, green beer and comical hats. On that day, some say that there are only two kinds of people — those who are Irish, and those who wish they were.
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