NO matter what your background, we all get a little green with envy of our Irish friends when it comes to St Patrick's Day.
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The Irish eyes were smiling and the Guinness was flowing freely all across the region as part of yesterday's celebrations. And no doubt, a good laugh and a long sleep will be the two best cures today.
But for those who like their Irish traditions a little more gentile, there was one place to be on Sunday, the Dunnstown Irish Festival.
More than 1000 people flocked to the small community just near the base of Mount Warrenheip for the festivities.
The township of Dunnstown was named after Robert Dunn who established the Dunnstown Distillery in 1854 which is famous for being the first Irish Whisky Distillery in Australia.
Descendants of many of the original families still live in Dunnstown to this day, with potatoes still grown in abundance. Locals affectionately know the area as "Little Ireland".
The festival Kicked off on Saturday night with a "Night on the Green" featuring popular Celtic band The Go Sets and plenty of local talent including The Settlement which rocked well into the night.
On Sunday, a family day featured lots of entertainment for the kids young and old including a jumping castle, face painting, sprints, potato sack racing and many other Irish games on offer.
There was plenty of Irish dancing throughout the day as well as quoits and hookey competitions.
You also had the sheaf tossing, potato peeling, potato picking, the ever-popular tug of war which saw dozens of teams compete for the title of strongest at the festival and there was also the inaugural Guinness Relay.
Festival goers were also treated to the sounds of Old Melbourne Road (OMR) and other bands well into the evening.
Organiser Shane Murphy said after last year's first running, he hoped it would only grow in coming years and judging by how many people enjoyed the day, the future success looks guaranteed.
Meanwhile, Ballarat's pubs were also doing a roaring St Patrick's Day trade.
While Irish Murphy's in Sturt Street proved to be a popular stop off for a Guinness or three, just down the road at the Munster's Arms Hotel at Bakery Hill, more than 350 people were expected to enjoy the celebrations with the day starting with a hearty breakfast.
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