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Source: ONE News -
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As people across the country mark St Patrick's Day with either a prayer or a pint, one Irish pub musician is embarking on an ambitious project.
Sean Kelly is trying to convince New Zealanders to make St Patrick's Day a public holiday.
Kelly has launched a petition, and is calling for a referendum on making March 17 a public holiday.
Kelly may find forcing a referendum difficult however, with the last census showing just 12,500 Irish men and women calling New Zealand home, some 287,500 short of the 300,000 signatures required to force a referendum.
However, Kelly is adamant it can be done, saying that up to 600,000 people in New Zealand can claim Irish ancestry of some description.
However, the campaign faces another obstacle: there would be the risk of pubs adding a public holiday surcharge and jacking up the price of drinks by 15%.
Something not exactly sought after by many people, who say the enjoyment of St Patrick's Day comes from sneaking away from work for a pint of Guinness.
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