Good beer, Irish whisky, pubs, and lots of green. Yes. We all follow these traditions but what is St. Patrick’s Day really about? The first thing we can all do to find out inner leprechaun here in NYC is to educate ourselves!
The History
St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish celebration of Saint Patrick. Saint Patrick was actually not an Irish native. He was born in Roman Britain and brought to Ireland as a slave when he was 16-years-old. He later escaped but returned to make his mark on history. The legend goes that Saint Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland and explained the Holy Trinity using the three leaves of the Irish clover, the Shamrock. The celebration has been going strong since the day of Patrick’s death on March 17th, 461.
The Feast
On St. Patrick’s Day all lent prohibitions are lifted including meat and alcohol consumption. The traditional meal of celebration is corned beef and cabbage. The Landmark Tavern on 11th Ave at West 46th Street is known for their traditional Irish style including this traditional dish. On Monday nights, they bring the Irish tunes to you live from 8pm to 11pm.
The Beer
If we don’t know anything else about St. Patrick’s Day, we all know that the beer is immensely important. Mustang Harry’s is known as one of the best sports bars in the city but there is so much more to offer with their motto “good food and good spirits”. The Irish owned and employed bar is filled with think Irish accents and Irish Whiskeys and beers.
The Music
Traditional Irish music is a great portion of the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Paddy Reilly’s Music Bar on 2nd Ave is the place to be for all traditional Irish music. Each day has a specific theme at Paddy’s and each day has one thing in common: it’s live! Steven Duggan has been dedicated to bringing authentic Irish music to NYC since 1986; even the knotted flooring was transported from an Irish hotel! Paddy’s is a comforting environment for all musicians of all levels. This is the perfect place to find some Irish culture through music and a couple of beers.
The Celebration
The Saint Patrick’s Day parade has been marching down 5th Ave on Saint Patrick’s Day for over 250 years! Run entirely by volunteers, the parade has become a non-profit organization for all New Yorkers to enjoy. The parade will begin at 11am on 44th street and will continue on to 79th street. If you cant make it, the parade will be streaming live on the website and on NBC channel 4. There’s honestly no better way to celebrate!
What are your favorite ways to celebrate St. Patty’s Day? Share below!
By: Denise Pina
This post is part of Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox.
Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
