St Patrick’s Day in London – It All Comes Down to the Guiding
It’s Amy guiding the walk. She’s the genuine article. Born and raised in Ireland, long settled in London, she’s a historian, genealogist, and documentary producer with a deep, lived understanding of Ireland and the Irish story. She’s currently working towards a PhD on the history of the Irish in Victorian London. And she brings it all to life in an Irish accent you could happily listen to all afternoon.
St Patrick’s Day in London – More than a Party, More than a Parade
St Patrick’s Day in London is not guaranteed bar stools. It reflects a city built and shaped by the Irish. For centuries, Irish people came to London looking for work, refuge, or a future. In the process, they left a mark on the city that is far deeper — and far more lasting — than most people realise.
We start at 1.30 pm, when the city is still walkable and the stories can breathe. From the Embankment, we head east through the Strand and Fleet Street and on into the City, tracing Irish London in all its forms: power and protest, labour and literature, exile and ambition.
Along the way we will cover Irish politicians at Westminster, journalists in Fleet Street, labourers on the Strand, radicals under surveillance, writers finding their voice, and London itself reacting, sometimes badly, sometimes brilliantly.
We’ll end near St Paul’s or the Guildhall, with a deeper sense of how Ireland and London shaped each other.
For the day that’s in it, we might end at a pub.
A St Patrick’s Day walk with the edges left sharp.
David Tucker –
Thank you, Olivia — that’s very kind of you to say.
You’re absolutely right: the numbers that day weren’t where they should have been, and that’s on us. It was, as you say, one of those rare occasions where everything that could go wrong did — and we’re sorry for that.
I’m very glad, though, that Amy’s skill and good humour still came through. She’s a terrific guide — thoughtful, unflappable, and unfailingly professional. A real credit to London Walks.
We’ve already taken steps to make sure that particular “perfect storm” doesn’t repeat itself — including keeping a closer eye on numbers for that walk.
And thank you as well for your patience on the day. It’s much appreciated.
Best wishes,
London Walks
Olivia O’Sullivan –
I think the above review is unfair. There were undoubtedly too many people on the walk, and I’d suggest limiting the numbers next time; but that wasn’t Amy’s fault, and she did an excellent job in difficult circumstances. She was charming, interesting and unfailingly polite, even when dealing with some frankly rude customers. I’m not sure I’d have been as patient or polite!
Shelagh –
Dear Shelagh,
In response…
First of all, thank you for taking the trouble to set this out. It made for painful but salutary reading. And it goes without saying, we’re very sorry it went so wrong for you.
What you encountered was, in truth, a perfect storm. An overnight surge in numbers took the walk well beyond where it should have been. And you are absolutely right – once a group gets too large, London does what London does: it swallows the sound, stretches the group, and the whole thing becomes an effort rather than a pleasure. And of course when it rains it pours. Namely Amy’s sound amplification system refusing to cooperate on the first part of the walk.
In short, what happened on Tuesday was an aberration — a genuine outlier. As you yourself say, you’ve been on many London Walks and none of them have had more than 20 people.
So just to be clear — what let you down here was not the walk itself, but the attendant circumstances on that particular occasion. That walk was the picnic that got the downpour. The downpour was the problem, not the picnic itself.
That said, a number of people came up to Amy afterwards to thank her and say how much they’d enjoyed it — and, in more than one case, to say she had done magnificently in very trying circumstances. But that doesn’t alter your experience, and we take your comments seriously.
And the responsibility is ours. No ducking that.
Furthermore, Amy will be refunding you and your friends in full.
And we’d like to second Amy’s gesture by inviting you and your friends back next year as our guests — to experience the walk as it’s meant to be: numbers capped at 20, and every word heard, every step followed, every moment enjoyed.
Because when it runs as it should, it’s a very different animal.
Final point. Yes, there were just over 40 people on that walk and that can make the arithmetic look eye-catching from the outside. But that was not a good day at the office, and no one involved would choose to repeat it.
Thanks again for writing, Shelagh. And once more, our apologies — you deserved a much better picnic than that.
Best regards,
Team London Walks
I am sorry I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS WALK. There was a totally insane number of (I estimate) 45 people. EVERY ONE OF THE MANY WALKS I HAVE DONE HAD A MAXIMUM NUMBER OF 20 – even that is hard to manage sometimes due to ambient noise etc in London. I think I would be lucky to have caught only about 10% of what the guide was saying. Also due to the large number the guide would begin speaking before even half of the group got there. The sound quality was also poor. DO NOT GO. I left early as it was a complete waste of time but very profitable for the guide I have to say – in excess of £600!!!!.