LIAM DURKIN
By
LIAM DURKIN
THERE was only one place to be on St Patrick’s Day.
Flanagan’s Irish Bar, Traralgon was appropriately decked out in a sea of green, as locals
came to celebrate all things Ireland.
While Christmas Eve is ordinarily the busiest day of the year for most pubs, for Flanagan’s, nothing comes close to St Patrick’s Day.
Patrons enjoyed a pint of Guinness at the bar, while others would have surely found themselves listening to some Celtic tunes throughout the day.
As there is a large percentage of Australians having at least some Irish ancestry, St Patrick’s Day has given people an opportunity to embrace their family history and connections to the Emerald Isle.
Morwell resident Steve Murphy was at Flanagan’s on St Patrick’s Day.
Mr Murphy, who came to Australia from County Cork in 1965, looks forward to St Patrick’s Day every year, so much so he even wrote a poem commemorating Flanagan’s:
On the 17th of March in a Gippsland town
There is a venue of renown
Where people come from near and far
To celebrate St Patrick’s Day at Flanagan’s Bar
They come from Moe, Morwell and Yinnar
To share a drink at Flanagan’s Bar
Come along and have a jar
Everyone’s welcome at Flanagan’s Bar
So to this wonderful venue, this Celtic bar
I raise my glass and say ‘Sláinte Mhath’
Sláinte Mhath’, pronounced ‘slanj-a-va’, is the Irish equivalent of cheers.
Irish names have proven to be both popular and safe choices for parents naming their children over the decades.
While there are many names of Irish origin, there can be little doubt Liam tops the list.
