It goes without saying that with a surname like McCarthy my family origins are from the deep south of Ireland – but that goes back many, many generations. Perhaps I should be dying my hair green today by way of celebration, but I am spared by the fact that I now have very little hair worth speaking of (not that I ever dyed it when I did have hair!). Alternatively, I could drink gallons of Guiness, which I admit I nearly always have in my fridge, albeit not in gallons. However, perhaps an even better idea, and more in keeping with my current situation, would be to recommend a few fat, creamy Dublin Bay oysters washed down with a cool, refreshing glass of Castro Martin albarino.

During my research I was surprised to discover that Spain’s biggest St Patrick’s Day celebration is held on the Costa Blanca, in a place called Cabo Roig. To be very honest I have absolutely no idea what specific connection this small town has with Ireland, but I have a feeling that I must be missing something very obvious. Apart from the name of the place sounding vaguely Gaelic and there being a Flanagan’s bar and a Bog Road, Google did not offer any other apparent connection. Unless you know otherwise…….

It goes without saying that with a surname like McCarthy my family origins are from the deep south of Ireland – but that goes back many, many generations. Perhaps I should be dying my hair green today by way of celebration, but I am spared by the fact that I now have very little hair worth speaking of (not that I ever dyed it when I did have hair!). Alternatively, I could drink gallons of Guiness, which I admit I nearly always have in my fridge, albeit not in gallons. However, perhaps an even better idea, and more in keeping with my current situation, would be to recommend a few fat, creamy Dublin Bay oysters washed down with a cool, refreshing glass of Castro Martin albarino.

During my research I was surprised to discover that Spain’s biggest St Patrick’s Day celebration is held on the Costa Blanca, in a place called Cabo Roig. To be very honest I have absolutely no idea what specific connection this small town has with Ireland, but I have a feeling that I must be missing something very obvious. Apart from the name of the place sounding vaguely Gaelic and there being a Flanagan’s bar and a Bog Road, Google did not offer any other apparent connection. Unless you know otherwise……..