A TTO Guide to St. Patrick’s Day in Bangkok

There’s an old Irish saying that reads, “An Irishman is never drunk so long as he can hold onto a blade of grass to keep him from falling off the earth.”

The fact that there are barely any blades of grass left in Bang­kok means there’s going to be a lot of drunken Irishmen this coming St. Patrick’s Day. Falling off the face of the earth, perhaps not, but toppling off the barstools in any of Bang­kok’s growing number of Irish bars, with a Guinness in hand and a song in their hearts – to be sure.

St. Patrick’s Day falls on March 17, the day Ireland’s patron saint was said to have died, way back in 461 AD. Born in Roman Britain in 385 AD, the unfortunate lad, Patrick, was captured by Irish raiders at the age of 16 and taken to the Emerald Isle as a slave. After six years working in captivity as a herdsman, he heard a voice telling him a ship was ready and the time had come to return to his family in Britain. Later returning to Ireland as a Bish­op, spreading the good word and wondering how on earth he ever managed to find himself in such a predicament – he was, after all, an Englishman.

Fast forward 15 centuries to March 17, 2009 to see Irish eyes from Argentina to Bangkok smiling in appreciation – if not for his holy deeds, then for giving millions of us around the world a good excuse for an annual piss up. There are estimated to be at least 80 million people around the world that have a drop or more of Irish blood coursing through their veins.

These include one-third of all US presidents, Argentinean-born revolution­ary Che Guevara, numerous great poets such as Oscar Wilde and Shane MacGowan, and, some even claim, God Himself – but that might just be the Guinness talking. The point is the Irish are everywhere; you can’t avoid them so you may as well join them.

And if you find yourself in the City of woe begotten Angels on the big night, the choice of Irish bars is wide and growing. Bars awash with green to look out for include the Dubliner on Sukhumvit near Soi 22. Here, the welcoming wooden interior and liberated road signs from Eire will blur with the down­ing of stout. And once you have rekindled the thirst with the sacred vision of Irish liquid, where better to honor it than with a pint or two at the newly opened Temples Bar on Sukhumvit Soi 11. These might be hard times, but they are also modern times and Temples Bar brings the Irish right up to date with a contemporary touch.

Swagger further down Sukhumvit to notorious Soi 4 and settle your staggering limbs in Hanra­han’s. The views sweet and the whisky is neat, but if you feel the live performers, Tets could quite possibly be a 21st century reincar­nation of the great 18th century Italian violinist, Niccolo Paganini. Hold onto your seat while he manically blends Toccata with an Irish song, danc­ing a jig through the bar whilst setting fire to the strings. Down enough of their Irish whisky, then squint at the emerald green interior and you might just catch a glimpse of the green fields of home.

If you’ve had enough of nostalgia, then turn your back and cross the street to enter O’Reilly’s on the Patpong side of Silom Road. This bar certainly lives up to the “pong” of the street, but by this stage of the evening the sewage should be neutralized by streams of whisky.

However, if the noise and the chaos of Patpong becomes overwhelming, then take a short taxi ride up Silom Road to Jameson’s, located at the foot of the Holiday Inn. Subdued lighting, dark wood paneling, red upholstered booths and green lampshades make Jameson’s the perfect spot for those who want to simply wind down.

To hell with Irish guilt, indulge yourself, and if you do fall flat on your face as you step out of the bar in the early hours, then just kiss the paving slab and it’ll all turn green in your dreams.