Costa del Sol News
On March 17th, as is customary, the province of Málaga celebrated Saint Patrick's Day, the Irish patron saint. In Benalmádena alone, the event featured over eight hours of live music and drew no fewer than 5,000 residents connected to the British island and its culture, characterized by the colors of its flag: green, white, and orange. The celebration also had other significant hubs, such as Nerja or the area around Los Romanes in the Axarquía region, as well as locations in Mijas, Fuengirola, Marbella, or Casares, where the Irish depleted stocks of Guinness black beer and the quota of artists capable of performing their country's traditional songbook live.
This date also marks the arrival of spring, so it is not unusual to encounter citizens who have traveled from Dublin to see how the festivities are celebrated in Arroyo de la Miel, a parade that in other years they had followed through the social networks of friends, relatives, or tourists.
"We are very fortunate to enjoy this sunny day with temperatures just over twenty degrees, after such a rainy winter as you have had in Andalusia," said Dana Devil. Accompanied by a group of neighbors from Fuengirola, she chose Arroyo de la Miel to spend the afternoon of March 17th and "to toast together to life, while half the world is at war."
Fiona Walsh had been contemplating for a decade the idea of moving from the Tropical Coast of Granada to the Irish pubs of Nerja, where this year she spent her country's national holiday. She works in hospitality, but closed her small family business on Tuesday with the intention of staying in the Axarquía for a few days. "We are very proud to feel so loved in this land. You Malagueños are very welcoming. There is also a religious bond with our community. We are also Catholics and many traditions passed down from parents to children unite us. Education too, although among the younger people, good manners are beginning to be lost in some places, including Ireland," she shared.
In the streets of Arroyo de la Miel, the parade started very early, before noon, as reported by the Benalmádena councilor for Tourism and Foreign Residents, Presi Aguilera, and the councilor for Commerce, Raúl Campos. They emphasized the importance of supporting these celebrations to "promote multiculturalism, coexistence, and the positioning of Benalmádena as an international tourist destination."
Before the parade, there was a gathering at the Church of the Immaculate, and then, in the Plaza de la Mezquita, the celebration continued with typical music until after eight in the evening.
