At first glance, it seems impossible that Valentine’s Day has any close connection with Ireland. The Saint was born in Italy, you might say… It’s a festival for lovers that has since become internationalized, and Ireland can’t really claim any particular link with the holiday…
But did you know that Saint Valentine’s Day is actually celebrated in Ireland, near Dublin? The Irish celebrate the event with their own traditions!
A look back at an Italian festival that’s no stranger to Ireland!
At first glance, Ireland and Valentine’s Day seem an unlikely pairing. Yet behind the heart-shaped cards and rose petals lies a deeply Irish story. To understand it, we need to go back to the time when Rome was still a bubbling empire and Christianity was just beginning to make its way.
For the record, Saint Valentine was born in Italy in the 3rd century, during the reign of Emperor Claudius II the Gothic. The latter was then known as an authoritarian tyrant, with a habit of persecuting Christians. Among his many actions, the emperor refused to allow soldiers to marry, believing that a single man made a better fighter.
Valentin, on the other hand, believed that love should be above administrative prohibitions… Very involved in the development of Christianity, he regularly offered his help to the Christians of his city and even went so far as to celebrate Christian marriages in secret, even though this practice was forbidden… He thus united male soldiers with female soldiers in the name of love, going against the wishes of the emperor.
When his activities were discovered, he was imprisoned and sentenced to be beaten to death. However, his sentence was commuted and he was beheaded on February 14, 269 and buried… (the famous February 14).
What links Valentin to Ireland, however, is not his struggle, but his eternal rest. In the XIXᵉ century, an Irish priest from Dublin, John Spratt, known for his eloquence and devotion to the poor, traveled to Rome.
He preached there with such talent that Pope Gregory XVI gave him an exceptional gift: authenticated relics of Saint Valentine. They were brought back to Ireland in 1836 and are still housed today in Dublin’s Whitefriar Street Church.
Every year, couples go there to ask for the saint’s protection or to renew a commitment. This sacred presence makes Ireland one of the few countries in the world to possess official relics of the patron saint of lovers.
If Valentine’s Day springs spontaneously to mind, Ireland has long had its own rituals around love and unions. Celtic traditions abound in customs dedicated to the bond of love, long before the arrival of Christianity.
One of the most fascinating is Imbolc, the festival of light celebrated on February 1ᵉʳ in honor of Brigid, goddess of fertility and poetry. At this time, couples went to the hills or near sacred springs to invoke fertility, prosperity and harmony. Certain practices even involved braiding protective crosses or ribbons to guide hearts towards the right person.
Later, in medieval times, there were also the Lughnasadh “trial marriages”, celebrated in August. These temporary unions allowed two people to try life together for a year and a day. If, at the end of this period, all went well, the couple validated the union before the community. Even if the event was not directly linked to a February 14th, the idea of love chosen and tested is part of the long-standing Irish tradition of free, living love.
In the Irish countryside, there were also love charms, made from plants, springs or standing stones. In Ireland, love was never a matter of chance: it was a path, sometimes a spell, often a promise.
A Claddagh ring – Royal Claddagh – cc
Today, Valentine’s Day in Ireland is a sweet blend of spirituality, culture and irresistible little traditions. The sacred heart of the festival remains Dublin’s Whitefriar Street Church, where the saint’s relics are on display. The faithful, whether long-time lovers or just starting out, come here to light a candle, make a wish or simply share a moment of contemplation.
The Irish also like to give symbolic gifts. The claddagh ring, the traditional ring depicting two hands holding a crowned heart, is one of the most popular pieces of jewelry given at this time of year. Depending on how it’s worn, it indicates whether the heart is free, taken or committed: a quiet little declaration that always appeals.
In major cities like Dublin, Cork or Galway, restaurants organize special menus, often inspired by local produce. Smoked salmon from Connemara, artisan cheeses from Wicklow or oysters from Galway become the discreet accomplices of romantic candlelit evenings.
Pubs are not to be outdone: some organize gentle concerts, traditional music sessions or even special evenings devoted to Irish poetry. Between Yeats, Joyce and O’Donoghue, Ireland has the perfect literary arsenal to nourish the spirit of lovers.
Hotels and guesthouses, meanwhile, are taking advantage of the opportunity to offer escapades in the heart of nature. A night in Kerry with a view of the Atlantic, a walk at the foot of the Mourne mountains or a cosy stay in the Midlands are all reminders that Ireland is above all a land of inspiring landscapes.
Among Irish traditions linked to love, there’s one that really stands out: Leap Year. Every four years, Ireland thumbs its nose at convention by granting women the ancestral right… to ask a man to marry them. Yes, the complete opposite of conventional practice, and that’s precisely what makes this custom so delightful.
The origins of this Irish tradition are lost in a mixture of Christianity and popular mischief. Legend has it that Saint Brigid, a major figure in Celtic Christianity, complained to Saint Patrick that women had to wait indefinitely for a man to make up his mind. To break this pattern, Patrick gave women a special day, February 29, to go ahead and propose.
In some more facetious accounts, Patrick would have accepted only after a long negotiation, and Brigid would have immediately proposed to Patrick to illustrate her point. He refused, but offered her a magnificent dress in compensation – which, incidentally, started another habit: if a man refused a proposal on February 29, he had to offer a substantial gift, often a pair of gloves designed to hide a possible ringless finger.
This custom has survived the centuries and become part of Irish folklore like a breath of fresh air in the complex history of relationships. In the countryside as in the cities, Leap Year was seen as a moment of freedom, almost a social game, where the ordinary rules were reversed. Even today, although the practice is no longer compulsory, it still makes people smile and regularly inspires events, theme parties and marketing campaigns that play on this famous “day when women lead the dance”.
Ireland loves those little traditions that defy convention while remaining tender and fun. Leap Year is a celebration of boldness, spontaneity and the idea that love doesn’t need protocol to flourish. And in a country where legends become part of everyday life, it’s no surprise that February 29 has become a symbol of romantic freedom.
Beyond the traditions, there’s also the island’s very special atmosphere. The Irish landscape naturally lends itself to the idea of romance. The cliffs of Moher, the medieval lanes of Kilkenny, the black lakes of Killarney or the wild beaches of Connemara offer almost cinematic backdrops.
Some couples even choose Ireland to propose. Dunluce Castle at sunset, the Giant’s Causeway as the sea recedes, or Dublin’s Phoenix Park with its free-roaming fallow deer have all become special settings for this unique moment.
It has to be said that Ireland has that slightly mystical charm. An impression of intimacy, but also of freedom. Every breath of wind, every slipping cloud, every ray of light gives the impression that nature itself is celebrating the love of visitors.
And then there’s that hospitality the Irish are so good at. That way of welcoming, telling and sharing. On Valentine’s Day, it takes on an extra sweetness. Perhaps it’s the effect of the saint who keeps watch from his chapel in Dublin. Perhaps it’s simply the soul of the island.
