![\"Karen](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/just-a-bit1.jpg\")
<\/a>Karen Salkin and Laura Saul, (both of whom should have known enough to not face the sun!,) in front of the official Ireland poster. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n
I often have fun suggestions for tonight, but one of my contributing writers, Laura, and I actually celebrated a week early with yet another wonderful Tourism Ireland event. (As Laura says, \u201cNo matter where one of their events take place, it\u2019s always a first class affair.\u201d) What could be more appropriate for the month of March?! The timing could not have been better!<\/p>\n
Actually, it was even\u00a0more<\/em>\u00a0than perfect for me<\/em>. I’m not going to make you guess why this time, although I have a feeling that, by now, many of you know where I\u2019ll be and what I\u2019ll be doing today, March 17. Celebrating early this year was great for me because today<\/em> is a full<\/em> day of the college basketball tournament, March Madness, from 9AM-10PM! And I always try to stay in and watch every second of it. So I would have felt awful to have a year with no<\/em> St. Paddy’s festivities at all if I hadn’t already gotten a jump on them with that special event last week. Now I can be satisfied to stay in the house today, and cheer on my teams.<\/p>\n A dumb Facebook “game,” but appropriate for today. And at least they got\u00a0it right!<\/p><\/div>\n So that\u2019s how I\u2019m celebrating St. Paddy’s Day this year; by sitting here all cozy, rocking my lovely green nails and PJs, (the latter of which\u00a0Mr. X better be wearing, as well, because anyone who does not<\/em> wear that shade today gets pinched!,) watching the college guys duke it out, and telling you about that event, thrown by real Irishmen! And Irishwomen, too, of course.<\/p>\n The occasion was\u00a0Tourism Ireland’s\u00a0pre-St. Patrick\u2019s Day screening of the documentary,\u00a0Ireland<\/em>, (creative title, right?,) in 3-D\u00a0on a giant\u00a0IMAX screen. (I think we all could use those 3-D glasses right now for the image at the top of this article!) The last time I saw an IMAX film, in the dark ages, my sensitive self got a\u00a0bit\u00a0nauseous, so I was a tad trepidatious to try again. But I love this organization, so I decided to give it another go. And the luck of the Irish was with me that day because the experience was incredible!!! I didn’t want it to end!<\/p>\n Ireland<\/em> showed us how stunning that country is. The overhead views are absolutely breathtaking. They\u2019re so magnificent, in fact, that I assumed it had to be shot with drones. But I overheard one of the filmmakers telling someone that it was all done by helicopter! That’s unbelievable to me! Laura, noted, \u201cThe movie is so beautiful on the grand IMAX screen. It’s the best way to capture the beauty of Ireland.”<\/p>\n On top of the stunning visuals,<\/em> Liam Neeson narrates<\/em>\u00a0the film! That makes it extra<\/em> special.<\/p>\n The IMAX film\u00a0about–guess what?–Ireland!!!<\/p><\/div>\n We both\u00a0could have done without the semi-boring narrative about\u00a0a group\u00a0of teen\u00a0musicians traveling the country, though; we\u00a0would have preferred to just see the exquisite shots of so many places in the Emerald Isle, some of which we’ve learned about over the years at other<\/em> Best of Ireland events, including their most recent luncheon. (If you missed it, you can still read about it here: itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/event-best-of-ireland-media-luncheon-2023<\/a>.) Some of the locations even looked familiar from\u00a0The Bansees of Inisherin<\/em>! And we would have loved to see one of the many Afternoon Teas that we’ve been told are\u00a0prevalent in that fair country.<\/p>\n But the event was actually much more than just a screening. Since it began before noon, we started-out in the garden of IMAX HQ in Playa Vista. As we entered, there was a quartet of musicians playing traditional Irish music from their perch…hidden behind hedges!!! (But\u00a0I<\/em>\u00a0found them, of course.) And there was a table of hot beverages\u2014coffee, tea, and even hot chocolate\u2014along with a couple of syrups to perk-up the regular flavors a bit. Since it was a chilly day, the organizers did the thoughtful touch of providing a coat rack with hangers for the guests rocking outerwear they might want to shed! I loved that!<\/p>\n The hidden musicians! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n And then after the movie and a post-screening talk from the filmmakers, we moved back to the garden for a lovely buffet lunch. There was a choice of three giant sandwiches\u2014chicken salad on a croissant, spicy meats, and one I had never seen before, a Cobb salad one!\u2014hearty vegetable wraps, and two excellent salads, one being watermelon and feta, of which Laura and I could not get enough!!! And the amiable staff constantly replenished it all.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>