An Irishman finds St Patrick’s Day away from home means more
Davey Rynne, 33, secretary of the Wellington Irish Society, will be among millions of Irishmen around the world celebrating St Patrick’s Day today. He arrived in New Zealand in May 2006 from County Clare in western Ireland after meeting Kiwi Leanna in D
in Wellington is quieter than Dublin or Auckland. The city has a great vibe to it. New Zealand and Ireland have lots in common. The people of both countries are very similar. They are easy-going and have a good sense of humour. The obvious one is friends and family. It is never easy being away from home for long periods of time. It’s a long way from Clare to Wellington. I miss all the usual things, like Irish bacon and cabbage. A good pint of Guinness is very hard to come by outside of Ireland as well! Some things are not meant to be messed with. Beer is one of them. It’s really taking off. With the recession at home, Australia and New Zealand is the choice for many. We’re seeing a sharp increase in Irish numbers in the capital. Gaelic football is going from strength to
Some things are not meant to be messed with. Beer is one of those things.
strength with nearly 200 playing every week. Today the Wellington Irish Club will be the place to be from 3pm when the doors open. We’ll have live music, dancing, songs, and replays of the great game of hurling – the All Ireland Final of 2011. I’ve just finished The Story of Danny Dunn by Bryce Courtenay. I was a bit disappointed in this book. Earlier works like Jessica and The Power of One left more of a mark on me. Let’s deal with the villains first. Ball handler Thierry Henry tops my list after the illegal goal to deny Ireland making the Fifa World Cup in South Africa in 2010. Diarmait mac Murchadha has a lot to answer for too: as King of Leinster in 1167, he was dispossessed and invited Henry II in to help him regain it. Henry II never left and the rest is history. Paul Henry could fit into both the heroes and villains section. He’d certainly liven up any party. The heroes would be Ger Loughnane, Co Clare hurling manager from 1995 who led my native county to their first All Ireland title in 81 years. Steven Donald, All Black World Cup hero, and St Patrick himself. It would be good to get some reaction from him on what his day has become. Would you serve them Guinness or a Kiwi pinot noir? It would be a nice pinot with dinner and then afterwards we would all go down to the Wellington Irish Club for a couple of pints of creamy Guinness to wash it all down. What is your favourite way to relax? Being involved in the Irish Society and with Wellington Gaelic football, I don’t get much time to put the feet up. We’ve recently moved into a new house with a double garage, so looking through Trade Me to stock it with power tools that’ll never be used is one of my fads.