The National Holiday

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 19, 7 May 1903, Page 10

The National Holiday

St. Patrick's Day of 1903 (says the ' Irish Weekly ') was celebrated with a universality and an enthusiasm seldom if ever displayed in any previous year. The banquet at the Hotel Cecil, London, over which Mr. John Redmond, M.1., presided, was one of the notable political events of tho day By a happy coincidence Mr. O'Mara's excellent Bill declaring Nt Patrick s Day a bank holidnv in Ireland passed its second reading' on March 17 in tho Hou.se ot Lords without opposition. In Dublin and through the greater part of Ireland that day, though not yet a legal bank holiday, was practically treated as such. All sects and all kinds of politician's agreed in honoring tho day. The great majority of tho business houses were closed, as was the Stock Exchange, and many of the public houses remained shut. In Limerick and Wexford, and other towns the public houses did not open at all. For the success of the endeavor to treat the observance of ttt Patrick's Day as a truly National festival, great ciedit is due to the United Irish League and the Gaelic Leagro Under the auspices of those widespread organisations important meetings wore hold in different districts E\orywheie a patriotic anxiety was shown to make the 17th of March ' a great day for Ireland.'