2022 sees the return of Saint Patrick's Day celebrations and festivities here in Ireland with 2020 and 2021 having seen cancellations due to COVID-19.

Usually March 17th is the holiday but for 2022 the government has created a new public holiday which this year falls on March 18th to make a double holiday.

From 2023 onwards that new holiday will fall on Saint Brigid's Day, the 1st of February, and Saint Patrick's Day will return to the traditional one day.

Also, for 2022 when many buildings around the world would usually have green lighting to celebrate the world's most famous patron saint, this year many of those buildings will be getting the blue and yellow of Ukraine's national flag.

It's a fitting gesture, especially since blue and yellow combine to make green.

Who knows what the weather will bring for this week's celebrations - it is often raining on Saint Patrick's Day in Ireland but it can be warm.

The record high for March in Ireland is 23.6C and the lowest temperature on record is -17.2C so it is likely to be somewhere in between those.

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