8-hour long bash on Thursday night in the Emirates Ballroom at the Crowne Plaza.

Members of the society and their friends enjoyed an abundant meal cooked by Irish chefs. An Irish quartet kicked off the entertainment. There followed traditional Irish dancing by professionals and local residents. A live band then pumped out a relentless stream of popular tunes after the group's president Joe Somers gave a speech to the party-goers. The craic, as the Irish call having a good time, was then in full swing.

Enda Tuomey, who helped organise the event, said: "St Patrick's Day is basically a celebration of being Irish. In line with the recent boom in Ireland's economy and accompanying social changes, it has changed from being a fairly quiet religious occasion to a more extravagant and more inclusive affair, reflecting the country's increased confidence and energy. For Irish people overseas, it is a time to be proud of being Irish, but with much better weather than we would find in, say, Dublin or Cork in mid-March!"

St Patrick's Day falls on March 17 and marks what is believed to the anniversary of the death of Saint Patrick in the year 460 of the Gregorian calendar.

Saint Patrick is widely remembered for getting rid of snakes from Ireland.