On the occasion of Ireland’s National Day on March 17, Irish Ambassador Padraig MacCoscair talks not only about the globally popular St Patrick’s Day but also about the historic links between Ireland and Malta.

Next Friday is the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint, the cleric Patrick (386-461), and a public holiday in Ireland, but St Patrick’s Day has also become a global phenomenon and is celebrated informally worldwide, including Malta, where it has become wildly popular especially with the younger generation.

So what is St Patrick’s Day all about, and why is it celebrated so widely? St Patrick’s Day is a global celebration of what it means to be Irish: the spirit, the determination, the creativity and that indefinable something that makes us who we are. We celebrate our rich culture and heritage and we’re proud of its influence on world literature, art and music. St Patrick’s Day is a great chance for us to share our culture with others.

Last year it was estimated that a crowd of about 20,000 gathered in Spinola Bay to celebrate and make merry. St Patrick’s Day in Malta has taken on a flavour of its own that is completely disproportionate to the number of Irish people who actually live here.

Most Irish residents are either married to Maltese, have retired here or moved here for employment purposes, so there is no great diaspora of Irish emigrants to account for this kind of enthusiastic participation. So actually, it is the Maltese themselves who have embraced St Patrick’s Day and go all out in their celebrations.

There are strong political, economic and cultural ties between Ireland and Malta that go back many years. But it is our shared values and outlook that provide the foundations for the development of such ties into the future.

Malta and Ireland have been cooperating in the search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean

Ireland, like Malta, is a committed EU Member State, and we have both benefitted enormously from membership. The future prosperity of both our island nations rests firmly in the EU.

We both share EU values – democracy, rule of law, human rights, international cooperation and sustainable development – and our EU membership allows us to leverage and project our common values within the wider international community. In pursuit of these common values, Malta and Ireland have been cooperating in the search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean.

Irish Ambassador Padraig MacCoscair, President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, Edgar Preca, Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella, Miriam Vella and Ann Kieran during last year’s official embassy reception for St Patrick’s Day.

The assistance of the Maltese authorities has been invaluable in facilitating the humanitarian mission of the six Irish naval vessels in the Mediterranean over the last two years. The Irish Defence Forces are privileged to welcome young men and women of the Armed Forces of Malta for officer training in Ireland.

Of particular interest at the moment on the cultural side is the cooperation in the field of cinema, which should bear fruit in 2018. I also want to mention Martello Media from Dublin, who have worked with Heritage Malta on the interpretive centre in Fort St Angelo and on other projects, including the magnificent Esplora and the new Museum of Fine Arts. However, it is our people and the hospitality they show each other that are the basis of ties.

One of the first connections between Malta and Ireland goes back to 1895 when Irish Cardinal Michael Logue visited Malta. While in Floriana, he was given a rousing welcome, so much so that the Florianites earned the nickname ‘Tal-Irish’, which they still have today.

The first St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Malta were held in the Balzunetta area of Floriana at the turn of the century by Irish soldiers who were stationed at the nearby barracks. This tradition was resurrected recently and a street party with live entertainment has become a regular part of their calendar.

Another interesting story has to do with football, where Floriana were among the pioneers of the sport in Malta. The Floriana team was founded in 1894 and at the time its colours were green and red.

However, after beating the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in a friendly match, the Irishmen gave their green and white striped vests to the Floriana players who immediately adopted them as their official colours. In fact, some historians contend that it was from this event that the nickname ‘Tal-Irish’ came into being.

St Patrick’s Day events in Malta

Irish embassy staff work closely with the two local Irish-Maltese Associations as well as with other organisations to support and promote social and cultural events around St Patrick’s Day.

This year there will be the Embassy reception, a gala dinner dance, a parade in Valletta, an Irish Short Film Festival, golfing and sailing tournaments, as well as a visit by a 50-member Irish choir.

The day will also be celebrated by joining the rest of the world in illuminating a national monument or icon with green light. Last year it was Fort St Angelo, and the LOVE monument in St Julian’s, while this year the ancient capital city of Mdina will be greened.