RICHARD BELL enjoys St Patrick’s Day – without breaking the bank – at the popular Mutiny night at Oxford’s Purple Turtle.

Once again the biggest drinking night of the year rolls around, and once again the enormous fun that is St Patrick’s prevents me from being able to do anything the day after... or indeed the day after that.

A copious amount of alcohol is a prerequisite of any night out with March 17 figuring prominently in its date.

Consequently, you need to ensure you don’t accidently spend every penny you’ve managed to scrimp and save since Christmas on your umpteenth round of Guinness.

No, what you have to do is make sure, first and foremost, that you choose the right venue or you’ll end up paying through the nose for a night out that you will barely remember.

The Purple Turtle provides the average wannabe Irishman with precisely the sort of venue I mean – cheap drinks, a youthful atmosphere and good music are what we’ve all come to expect from one of Oxford’s favourite clubs, and so naturally (even arriving at the relatively early time of 11pm), the Purple Turtle was already extremely busy.

But how does such a popular club adapt one of its busiest nights to suit the needs of the St Patrick’s Day crowd?

The answer, rather surprisingly perhaps, is that it doesn’t.

They don’t change a thing. And honestly I can do nothing but applaud the club for recognising that its regular Mutiny night is strong enough, popular enough, and quite simply good enough to do the job better than any hastily thrown together cheesy pop night gimmick.

Over the past couple of years Mutiny has grown from being a bit of an experiment into something of a staple of the clubbing week.

In the best of Oxford clubbing traditions a strong community of supporters has grown up around Mutiny, which from the beginning has played emo punk and metal to an adoring and growing crowd.

It says a great deal for the consistent and continued efforts of Mutiny creator and mainstay Cara Louise that the night has become much more than a curiosity in the clubbing line-up. That such a niche night is strong enough not only to cope with St Patrick’s Day, but that its dance floor is packed from start to finish shows just how far this night has come.

In all honesty, I can’t really remember if there were any drinks deals or anything on offer other than the usual good prices because, hey, they ‘made’ St Patrick’s Day worth celebrating.