The luck of the Irish

The ultimate guide to great craic and St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

There’s no question that the Irish have deep roots in America. So it’s no surprise how many American cities celebrate this heritage with St Patrick’s Day parades and festivals. As the old saying goes, everyone is Irish on St Patrick’s Day. While any city can put on a good party one day a year, these AirTran Airways destination cities celebrate their Irish heritage all year long with good pubs, a lively music scene and, as they would say in Ireland, great craic.

 

Baltimore

Baltimore’s St Patrick parade kicks off at 2pm on March 12 with a 5km run along the route. While the runners recover with a quick pint, the parade marches down Charles Street from Mt. Vernon to the Inner Harbor, where it ends at Pratt Street and Market Place.

Across the sea in Ireland, there’s a tiny harbor village called Baltimore. Here in the States, Maryland’s own harbor town lives up to its namesake with a vibrant Irish scene. The mayor of the city, Martin O’Malley, was the lead vocalist in the Irish rock band O’Malley’s March from 1988 until 2005. Even though Mayor O’Malley has left behind his musical career to focus on his campaign for Maryland’s governor, Baltimore’s Irish scene still rocks.

 

Best Irish pubs

There’s nothing fancy about Locust Point’s J Patrick’s Irish Pub (1371 Andre St; 410-244-8613), which makes it seem all the more like a true Irish gem. Irish bands perform Friday through Sunday nights and musicians get together during the week for traditional sessions.

Another cozy spot for a pint of Guinness is Mick O’Shea’s (328 N Charles St; 410-539-7504) in the Mt Vernon neighborhood. It has great bar food and live Irish bands Wednesdays through Saturdays, and, with its convenient Charles Street address, this is a great spot to watch the St Paddy’s Day parade.

 

Other places to get your Irish on

Take the Irish experience out of the bar and onto the playing field with the Baltimore Gaelic Athletic Association (www.baltimoregaa.com). This sports league organizes teams to play classic Irish sports including gaelic football (a mixture of American soccer, rugby and football), hurling and camogie (a close relative of hurling).

 

St Patrick’s Day fun

Baltimore’s St Patrick parade kicks off at 2pm on March 12 with a 5km run along the route. While the runners recover with a quick pint, the parade marches down Charles Street from Mt. Vernon to the Inner Harbor, where it ends at Pratt Street and Market Place.

 

Boston

During the Irish potato famine, 100,000 Irish immigrants moved to Boston. The new residents worked hard to establish themselves in neighborhoods like South Boston (or Southie) and Dorchester. Almost 100 years later, it was clear that the Irish truly had arrived when Boston’s most famous Irish American resident, John F. Kennedy, became the first Irish-Catholic president of the United States.

 

Best Irish pubs

Tourists and locals both flock to The Black Rose (160 State St; 617-742-2286) in Boston’s Faneuil Hall-Quincy market area for the nightly live music. This spirited pub keeps the crowds happy with classic pub grub and traditional Irish breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Another hotspot for Celtic music is the The Plough & Stars (912 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge; 617-441-3455), which has a more eclectic mix of live music. This is the place in town to watch televised live soccer matches on the weekends.

While some might see it as more of a novelty than an everyday hangout, The Littlest Bar (47 Province St; 617-523-9766) is a great place to grab a pint. However, you don’t want to invite your entire network of friends as the capacity maxes out at 38 drinkers. It’s short on space, but makes up for that with character.

 

Other places to get your Irish on

To learn more about Beantown’s Irish history, take a walk along the Irish Heritage Trail. This three-mile tour loops through downtown Boston, North End, Beacon Hill and Back Bay, remembering the great Irish heroes who shaped the city’s history.

 

St Patrick’s Day fun

Boston’s famous St Patrick’s Day parade will march through South Boston, the city’s most Irish neighborhood, on March 19 at 1pm. This melee of bag pipers and marching bands has come a long way since its inception in 1901.

 

Chicago

Chicago pays homage to the “Emerald Isle” in a unique way by dyeing the Chicago River bright green just in time for the city’s annual St Patrick’s Day parade. But the good times don’t stop there, as Chicago shows its true Irish colors throughout the entire year. The South Side is one of the city’s well-known Irish neighborhoods and was once home to the “Lord of the Dance” himself—the Irish-American Michael Flatley, who started the Riverdance empire.

 

Best Irish pubs

There’s no rule that good pubs need to be dark and dingy. Fadó (100 W Grand Ave; 312-836-0066) captures the Irish spirit with gleaming wood bars and tasteful decorations all imported directly from Ireland. The rooms reflect different themes, ranging from cozy cottage to Ireland’s literary past, creating a small piece of Eire in the middle of America.

Celtic Crossings (751 N Clark St; 312-337-1005) is another authentic pub, but with a totally different style. If Irish brogues make you swoon, cozy up to the stone fireplace and enjoy the company at this bar with a largely Irish staff and lots of Irish patrons.

You can’t talk about Chicago’s pub scene without mentioning the Irish South Side. Keegan’s Pub (10618 S Western Ave; 773-233-6829) is a classic neighborhood pub, and while the bar doesn’t serve food, many will argue that a Guinness is a meal in itself.

 

Other places to get your Irish on

The Beverly Arts Center of Chicago (2407 W 111th St; 773-445-3838) plays host to the annual Chicago Irish Film Festival, honoring classic and contemporary Irish films. This year, the festival (held March 3-8) promises a selection of films and special guests to get you in the holiday spirit… for St Patrick’s Day, that is.

St Patrick’s Day fun

Chicago has not one, but two great parades. On March 11, check out the green Chicago River and then head over to Columbus Drive in Grant Park to watch the start of the parade. Then get a good night’s sleep, because on March 12 the South Side parade kicks off at 103rd Street and Western Avenue (both start at noon).

New York

In the 19th century, the Lower East side neighborhood called “Little Ireland” had more Irish residents than the city of Dublin. It’s been a long time since the corrupt Irish political powerhouse, Tammany Hall ruled New York, but the Irish vibe is still powerful in the Big Apple. It seems you can’t go two blocks without passing a cheery Irish pub, and the city’s St Patrick’s Day celebration is legendary.

Best Irish pubs

McSorley’s Old Ale House (15 E 7th St; 212-473-9148) opened its doors in 1854, but ladies needed to wait another hundred years before they could enter the bar. Today, the young crowd can create a frat party atmosphere at this East Village institution, but a visit is essential for any Irish pub crawl. There are only two beers—light and dark—and you must order two at a time. Drink up, because the old Irish bartenders won’t hesitate to toss you out for causing trouble or nursing your beers.

Patrons at Paddy Reilly’s Music Bar (519 Second Ave; 212-686-1210) must love Guinness, because it’s the only beer on tap. And the only thing better than the Guinness is the music, which is live seven nights a week. Guinness fans should also check out Molly’s Pub & Restaurant, Shebeen (287 3rd Ave; 212-889-3361), which boasts the best pint of the dark stuff in town. Aside from the Guinness, Molly’s offers a glowing fireplace, good Irish tunes playing on the jukebox and a happy crowd.

 

Other places to get your Irish on

Ellis Island was the first stop for immigrants arriving in America between 1892 and 1954. Even if your relatives weren’t among the 12 million people who crossed through this entry point to America, you should still experience Ellis Island and follow the footsteps of these settlers who helped build our country.

 

St Patrick’s Day fun

New York’s parade gets underway at 11am on March 17 and promises an impressive lineup of marching bands, politicians and New York’s finest firefighters and police officers. Parade watchers line up along Fifth Avenue between 44th Street and 86th Street to be part of this 230-year-old tradition.

 

Savannah

Ireland is known for its 40 shades of green. The same might be true of Savannah on St Patrick’s Day when green reigns supreme, with green beer, green grits and even green water in the town’s fountains. Each year, the city’s population doubles as almost 250,000 visitors pour in to check out the festivities. Don’t let the sleepy southern charm fool you—Savannah is the place in the south to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, and the Irish fun keeps going all year long.

Best Irish pubs

There are two Irish pubs at the heart of Savannah’s Irish scene. Kevin Barry’s Irish Pub (117 W River St; 912-233-9626) has live Irish music every night of the week and a late-night bar menu to keep away the munchies. Finnegan’s Wake (108 W Congress St; 912-231-8499) is a waterfront pub that rocks until the wee hours of the morning, 3am to be exact. Both pubs are holiday hotspots for St Patrick’s Day, and any other day you’re in the mood for a cold pint and good company.

 

Other places to get your Irish on

If your love for Irish music swerves to the extreme, you’ll feel lucky to come across The Folk Traditions Store (414 Whitaker St; 912-341-8898) in the historic district. This shop is the source for musical instruments and printed instructional music, and is home to the Savannah Celtic Session musicians.

 

St Patrick’s Day fun

Savannah’s parade has grown since 1812, when a small band of Irish took to the streets to remember the death of St Patrick. Today, the parade marches through the historic district on March 17 (10am), and revelers file into the waterfront pubs for post-parade celebrating.