It is St Patrick's Day and Kristina Chetcuti finds the locals celebrate in such style that some Irish fly in to sample the "patriotic" touch.
Everybody is Irish on St Patrick's Day but not everybody can wear the Kiss-Me-I'm-Irish pins typically handed out today. The pins can only be sported by some 400 Irish people who have made Malta their home - and some who will be flying in specifically to celebrate their national holiday "for a more patriotic feel".
Paddy's Day is renowned internationally as the day of craic, the Irish word for good fun. With each passing year, more Maltese seem eager to become Irish for the day.
Pat Staff, Irish Emerald Society chairman, said it was easy for the Irish to integrate in the Maltese community as there was no language barrier and the two shared the same strong family values, religious and cultural beliefs and sense of humour.
Nonetheless, there are some Irish things which can never be replaced such as family and friends, the green countryside and brown/white soda bread.
"You can't beat a traditional breakfast of bacon, sausage, black and white pudding, fresh crusty bread with a generous helping of Irish butter and a cup of tea," she said.
The society was set up last year as a non-profit making association to provide occasions for Irish living in Malta to meet and socialise.
The number of Irish residents in Malta is not exactly known. Gerald O'Connor, the Irish chargé d'affaires, said: "Not all Irish living in Malta register with the embassy - it's not compulsory. As a guesstimate, I would say there are about 350 Irish."
However, Ms Staff reckons there are more, especially as there seem to be lots in transit or spending part of the year here and part in Ireland.
Diane Potter, 31, is one example. She came to Malta seven years ago for a three-month working holiday and "loved it so much" she stayed.
Low-cost airline Ryanair has made travel to and from Ireland affordable and accessible and led to a huge temporary influx of Irish people all year round.
Fr Charles Carabott, parish priest of the English-speaking Catholics in Malta, said in 2008 he officiated about eight Irish weddings a month. "Some would just come for a holiday wedding, others would be residents," he said.
It seems, however, the majority who settle here have Maltese partners.
As far as is known, Nuala Caruana Montaldo, 81, is the oldest Irish resident in Malta. A mother of eight and grandmother to 12, Ms Caruana Montaldo met her Maltese husband at a conference in Ireland and has been living in Malta since 1956.
Will she be celebrating Paddy's Day? Her reply is enthusiastic: "I am expecting a call now from a friend who's bringing me over some shamrock. Every St Patrick's I've been getting fresh shamrock from Ireland for the past 50 years."
Like many other Irish residents, she will be attending the 10 a.m. Mass at St Patrick's Salesian Chapel in Sliema, followed by light refreshments.
Does that include Guinness?
Fr Joe Cini, the chaplain, said: "Well, I did want to get some Guinness, but it was turned down, on account that it's a bit too early for it, you know?"
Fr Cini believes the Irish and Maltese characters are very similar, a view shared by Philip Murray, Hotel Phoenicia's director of operations.
"I think the Maltese and Irish have a lot in common: both are fun loving, hardworking and sociable," he said, although perhaps the Maltese are initially slightly reserved, which he felt was probably inherited from the British.
Some deem celebrations in Malta to be even more fervent than in any actual Irish cities. Paul Byrne, who has been living in Malta for the past 20 years, said his brother was coming over to celebrate today.
"I know about a dozen Irish who'll be doing that. In Dublin, it's basically just a piss-up; here it's kind of more patriotic."
Pubs in Malta, from St Julians to Marsascala to Buġibba, will be promoting Guinness, today's official drink. The stout accounts for one in every three pints pulled in Irish pubs.
The Paddy's Day pub crawl starts officially at The Dubliner Pub in St Julians, deemed the most authentic Irish pub on the island. Here patrons are given hats and other decorations, before they set off on a pub crawl.
As one Irish blessing goes: "May the luck of the Irish enfold you and may the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you."
How to be Irish for a day
Read: anything by Oscar Wilde or if you're brave enough, James Joyce's Ulysses.
Eat: chowder, beef & Guinness pie, Irish stew, bacon and cabbage.
Sing along to: Ronan Keating, U2, The Corrs, Enya, Van Morrison, The Cranberries.
Dance like: the guys from Riverdance, preferably on the pub table.
Wear: pin a shamrock on your lapel and put on a Leprechaun hat. Leprechauns are ugly little elf-like creatures who are said to lead people to the pot of gold, buried at the end of the rainbow - always worth a try, what with the luck of the Irish and all that.
Play: the harp, the official symbol of Ireland since mediaeval times.
Do: go for a Guinness pouring lesson at the Hotel Phoenicia in Floriana.
Drink: Jameson, Bailey's and Guinness.
Toast: when you raise your glass say slainte. To get the right pronunciation, pretend you've got a mouthful of potatoes and it should sound something like: shlonche.
Where: any pub on the island.