Described as James Joyce set to song, Pomes Penyeach (the literal meaning is “poems for a penny each”) is a double album, breathing a new life into James Joyce’s 1927 publication of thirteen short poems. This is released by Dublin Vinyl and is available to pre-order. The general worldwide release will be on Bloomsday, June 16. The album features Adrian Crowley (on vocals, piano, acoustic guitar & mellotron), the luminous Lisa Hannigan (on vocals), Matthew Nolan (electric guitar), Sean Mac Erlaine (reeds & electronics), Cora Venus Lunny (violin and viola) and Kevin Murphy (cello); DublinVinyl.com.

Stillgarden Distillery prides itself on being a real community connector. It is encouraging its Instagram followers to dress up their pets as part of its St PETtrick’s Day competition. There’s a chance to win two Stillgarden Distilling Academy tickets and a Paddy’s Day Party Box worth €250. Entrants have to be following @stillgardendistillery to be in with a chance of winning; all you have to do is share a pet photo using the hashtag #PETricksday21. If you are close to the Distillery, they will be serving traditional Irish coffees all day too. Made with new make Irish Whiskey, Werther’s Originals, coffee and oak chips from Oloroso sherry butts, this Irish coffee is served cold with a layer of cream whipped with intense deep black cocoa on top. www.stillgardendistillery.com

Award-winning filmmaker and photographer Ross O’Callaghan is launching a search for Paddy Irishmen at home and abroad. O’Callaghan is photographing men named Paddy, Pat and Patrick from all walks of life with the aim of challenging the stereotype of a “Paddy Irishman”. The final results will be shown in an exhibition of portraits in New York next year. Explaining the project further O’Callaghan says, “The collection will be a far-reaching, affectionate and curious look at the depth and breadth of Irish male experiences. I want to capture Paddy who remembers the Second World War, a time in Ireland before secondary school was standard, to worldwide tech stars like Stripe billionaire Paddy Collison or Web Summit’s Paddy Cosgrave. I would love to photograph someone like Paddy Barnes and try to capture the resilience of what it takes to become an Olympian but it’s very important to me that this is not just a project about the well-known. This is about real men called Paddy, regular Paddies. So, how do you apply? Anyone named Paddy, Pat or Patrick, Padraig, Padraic, or any other variant of the name Patrick interested in getting involved are invited to get in touch by tagging @PaddyIrishManProject on Instagram.

Dúisigh Eire! / Awaken Ireland! is the theme of this year’s St Patrick’s festival, a clarion call to the Irish across the world to throw off the long, dark months and rise to embrace the brighter days ahead. The impact of Covid-19 over this last year has highlighted the importance of our wellbeing and mental health and there are some must-attend wellness themed events this March. Artist, writer, podcaster and musician Blindboy Boatclub will present Creativity and Mental Health – a series of five short films which will explore the importance of good mental health practice as an essential part of the creative process. In Failure, he looks at overcoming the fear of failure and embracing failure as a facet of the creative process; Time looks at creating time, specifically for creativity; Play sees him incorporate playfulness and humour into our creative process, even where the artist’s work is none of these things; in Criticism he’ll discuss dealing with the tricky topic; and in Success Blindboy discusses establishing a healthy and realistic definition of success. For other events visit www.stpatricksfestival.ie.

While you may not be able to travel this year you can still be transported by music. Watch Baritone Rory Musgrave perform a rendition of Danny Boy on YouTube, which was recorded in the The Merrion during lockdown. This is part of the ongoing association between the hotel and Wexford Festival Opera, who have teamed up to provide a “musical hug”. Anna Brady has also performed some much loved songs in the empty hotel in a pop-up style presentation. The full video will be released on Wexford Festival Opera social media channels at 5pm tomorrow.

The Abbey Theatre will stream Home: Part One, a project that presents the voices of the survivors of the Mother and Baby Institutions. A company of 46 women, including artists, survivors, and public figures, will voice excerpts from the direct testimonies of survivors, alongside extracts from a number of reports into these institutions. The readings will stream on the Abbey Theatre’s YouTube channel at 7pm. The programme will be over three hours long: https://www.youtube.com/user/AbbeyTheatre.

Drinks Ireland is encouraging consumers to discover the depth and diversity of Irish whiskey – whether it’s on the rocks or using it in your favourite cocktail – with a series of online videos available on www.ibec.ie. You can discover more about the craftsmanship of distillers and blenders as well as a guide to some of the best-loved Irish whiskey brands. One of these is The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. which has recently released The Emerald Isle Collection in partnership with Fabergé. Just seven lucky experiences boxes have been created, each featuring two bottles of 30-year-old whiskey, accompanied by two exclusive creations from Fabergé – the first-of-its-kind Celtic Egg objet and a bespoke Altruist timepiece. Each experience box features a uniquely designed geometric illustration on the front, representing “The seven wonders of Ireland” – from the Old Head of Kinsale to Giant’s Causeway. The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. will host private auctions for the collection throughout 2021.

Designer Jennifer Rothwell has always championed the history and culture of Ireland in her work. Her new Saint Patrick’s Print is inspired by Harry Clarke’s stained glass in St Mary’s Church, Ballinrobe, Co Mayo and is available in a jewel-toned scarf, available with emerald green face masks from her website: www.jenniferrothwell.com.

On Netflix, there’s a host of Irish films to keep everyone entertained including Lost Girls staring Amy Ryan and Gabriel Byrne. Binge-watch Derry Girls, discover the highly-acclaimed documentary on champion boxer Katie Taylor, or enjoy The Irish Man in Conversation. In the latter join director Martin Scorsese as he sits down with stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci for an intimate look inside the making of The Irishman film. For history buffs, I am Patrick is a docudrama which traces the path of St Patrick from kidnapped slave to patron saint of Ireland through re-enactments and historical text. www.netflix.com

Kilkenny’s first ever virtual St Patrick’s Day celebrations will be hosted by Kilkenny native and RTÉ sports and news presenter Evanne Ní Chuilinn. There will be a virtual parade featuring Kilkenny’s citizens and diaspora as well as celebrating the current stars of animation, the Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated Cartoon Saloon along with their musical collaborators, Kila, in a vibrant celebration of the artistic and historic tapestry of Cill Chainnigh-ancient and contemporary. www.stpatricksfestivalkilkenny.com

Irish hosts on Airbnb are sharing a wide range of fun-filled online experiences for people around the world to take part in.
These include Irish Countryside Stories with Donkeys where guests can say hello to some donkeys and listen to immersive interactive Irish folk tales; in the Irish Dance Masterclass people can learn to become Irish dancing superstars; or become a baking champion in a Baking Irish Scones and Brown Bread Zoom class. Guests can enjoy the charm and hospitality of an Irish pub in their own living room with The Irish Pub & Beer Tasting Experience and An Irishman’s Guide to Irish Whiskey.

This year the Irish Architecture Foundation is taking part in St Patrick’s Festival via a dedicated online channel, SPFTV on the festival website, www.stpatricksfestival.ie. Included are three short films We Built This City, which chronicles the impact Irish people have had on the built environment in the cities of London, Chicago and New York. Also tune into its Site Specific series – eleven short films that showcase and celebrate the architecture of Dublin. The series includes a film about the Chapel Royal, in which Dr Myles Campbell discusses Dublin Castle’s gothic revival masterpiece.

Of course many buildings around Ireland and the world will be “going green”. Visit the OPW to find out which one are being illuminated in your area (www.opw.ie). Guinness is joining in with Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening and helping pubs around the globe turn green this St Patrick’s Day. From Dublin to Derry, the Himalayas to Surfer’s Paradise and everywhere in between – pubs will turn green collectively. The global celebration will culminate with “The Best of the Pub”, a virtual event featuring a varied programme of Irish entertainment, headlined by music superstar Niall Horan. Broadcast from the iconic O’Donoghue’s pub in Dublin this will be shown live around the world on Youtube, from 17.59 on March 17.

“Jam havoc” is a two-person virtual exhibition featuring work by artists Jaki Coffey and Kelly Ratchford at the Oliver Cornet Gallery. Coffey creates playful pieces – the work in this exhibition is a record of the artist’s daughter attacking blocks of butter while quietly leaving her mark as ephemeral graffiti around the home. Mark making is also a significant aspect of Ratchford’s paintings. Both artists share a desire to incorporate humour and playfulness in their work. They take the work seriously but delight in the spontaneous. The exhibition runs until April 11; www.oliviercornetgallery.com.

Keep the celebration of Irish culture going after St Patrick’s day. Of note for poetry fans, on March 18, Stephen Rea will lead a very special tribute to his late friend and renowned poet Derek Mahon. Filmed in the Georgian splendour of Newbridge House, Donabate in Dublin’s historic Fingal, this night of poetry and music will include some of Derek Mahon’s most renowned works including Everything is going to be Alright and A Fox in Grafton Street, written during lockdown. These poems will be coupled with music performed by the Chieftains Matt Molloy, Paddy Glackin and Neil Martin and they will be joined on the night by contemporary Co Sligo harpist Brídín?and Nigerian Irish poet Felispeaks. Felispeaks will perform the spoken word piece We know Survival Well in response to Derek Mahon’s After the Titanic. www.tradfest.ie