St Patrick's Day: Dubliner and Ivegate in Bradford set for big celebration

The Dubliner, in Ivegate, has a day of celebrations planned for the patron saint of Ireland, along with further celebrations lined up at the weekend.

Those with proud Irish ancestry – and those who just love Guinness and Irish whiskey and a good party – are gearing up for the big day, when there will be ceilidhs aplenty celebrating St Patrick.

Last year’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations were largely limited by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions in place in the UK, with 2020’s also curtailed by the impending lockdown when Covid-19 first began.

This means many will be looking forward to the first proper celebration in two years for St Patrick’s Day, which has been celebrated on March 17 for almost 400 years.

Ellen Boyle, events manager at The Dubliner, said a full day of music is planned to mark the day at the pub and other venues in Ivegate.

She said: “It’s the first St Patrick’s Day we have done and the first proper one in two years so we’re really looking forward to it.

“We’ve always had a brilliant St Patrick’s Day in in Bradford, people take the day off work to enjoy it and the atmosphere, and we’ve always pushed the boat out on Ivegate for it.”

The day starts at Ye Olde Crown at 2pm with a performance by Both Barrels, followed by Sadie at the Wine Lodge at 2.30pm, and Ian Craig at The Dubliner at 3pm.

From 4.30pm, The Endings will take the stage at Tickles (in Westgate) before Both Barrels then take over the Dubliner at 5.30pm.

The last performer is popular Irish singer Seamus Moore, who appears at The Dubliner from 7.30pm.

On Saturday The Dubliner will also host DJ Ellen’s St Patrick’s Party to round out a week of festivities.

Bradford’s Irish community dates back more than 200 years, with the first workers arriving around 1800 for work in Bradford’s mills, according to Historic England.

In 1819, Irish clergyman Rev Patrick Bronte moved to Haworth with his family, which included his three daughters Charlotte, Emily and Anne, who went on to be some of Britain’s most celebrated authors.

More and more Irish people continued to arrive during the 1800s for work but were met with discrimination, forced to live in slums and only able to get the worst-paid jobs available. Immigration accelerated during the Irish Potato Famine, and by 1851, one in 10 people in Bradford were of Irish descent.

By 1951, there were around 35,000 Catholics in the district, one in nine people, with most descended from Irish families who came to Bradford during the 19th Century, and proud Irish heritage is retained in the district to present day.