The nation braces for the ‘St Patrick’s Day sickie’ surge as 22% admit they won’t make it to work

O'Neill's, the UK’s favourite Irish pub, conducted a survey with more than 2,000* participants to uncover the shockingly hilarious truths about those post-celebration plans.

Turning St Patrick’s Day into an entire weekend of Irish celebrations in the lead-up to the biggest St Patrick’s Day party of the year, O’Neill’s pubs across the UK are gearing up for a week of entertainment, plenty of Guinness and unmissable deals – including app-exclusive offers of £2 pints of Guinness, 2-4-1 Baby Guinness and a complimentary Dublin Mule with your order.

With so much to celebrate, it’s no surprise that 1 in 5 (22%) of respondents already resigned to or on the fence about calling in sick rather than brave the office, a whopping half (50%) of these claim they are bold enough to tell their bosses the cold, hard – but undeniable – truth, that they are simply experiencing the worthwhile effects of celebrating “an important cultural day”.

Meanwhile, other revellers have gotten a little more creative with their excuses – alongside the traditional “my dog was sick” and “my grandma died for the fourth time”, O’Neill’s revealed some of the most outrageous reasons.

One of the most commonly shared answers was people forgetting which day it was, or forgetting the way to the office – a true sign of a good night! Other excuses included: uncrossable puddles, shoes being left on taxi roofs, spacecraft landing on the driveway and birdfeeders crashing through windows.

Roisin Sherriff, Marketing Manager at O’Neill’s, said: “St Patrick’s Day is the biggest day of the year for us – and most of our guests. With live entertainment, good craic and even better Guinness it’s a celebration you don’t want to miss.

“St Patrick’s might be on a Monday this year, but we know that won’t stop people having a good time! We’re here to provide the pints and the fun – and the inspiration for those morning after excuses!”

Keen to know how people will be nursing their hangover while you’re grafting away? Well, you’ll be pleased to know that over a quarter (27%) are certain they won’t be able to climb out of their beds and 23% will spend the day full of regret (most likely a short-lived feeling until they are next presented with a pint of the black stuff!).

A braver portion of the population, 24% of people are already planning on curing themselves with a good old Irish breakfast – and where better than heading back to O’Neill’s, the place it all started. A true full-circle celebration!

To find your nearest O’Neill’s St Patrick’s Day party (and reserve that spot for that morning-after breakfast), visit ( www.oneills.co.uk)