As a child, St. Patrick’s Day for me was up there with Easter and Thanksgiving. In my small, entirely Irish-Catholic hometown of around 6,000 (for reference, that’s 6% of Franklin), St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated with grandeur. We held a massive parade, had an Irish Soda bread contest that was highly contested, and celebrated with girls from Irish step-dancing schools and bagpipers from across the state.
Photos of my hometown!!
So, imagine my shock when I moved to Nashville and March 17 was just… another day. Here, St. Patrick’s day is acknowledged, sure, but certainly not to the extent it was in my hometown. So, I’m here to give you the tea (or because we’re talking Irish, overflowing pint of beer) on the best ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, from a certified Irish Catholic™.
STEP ONE: Eat Authentic Food
This is my niche, because growing up I was exposed to all sorts of legit Irish recipes. I’ll break this portion down into what I believe are the three quintessential elements of a St. Patrick’s day dinner: Corned Beef, Soda Bread, and some dessert.
Corned Beef
Alas, my ancestors frown upon me because I absolutely despise corned beef. This is a Carroll family dish that goes beyond St. Patrick’s day, and I’ve never been able to get behind it. However, for the curious, corned beef is a brined brisket that is pretty thickly-sliced. It’s usually done in a crockpot with some combination of carrots, potatoes, and cabbage. While I hate corned beef, it’s an Irish staple and certainly will make you feel authentically Irish. In fact, if you want some just hit me up and I’ll bring you my portion the next time my mom makes it, in exchange for some authentic American chicken nuggets.
Irish Soda Bread
Not to brag, but I am THE third place winner in my hometown’s Irish Soda Bread Contest, so I know what I’m talking about when I say that soda bread is my favorite part of St. Patty’s Day. Irish soda bread is a bread with a consistency and taste closer to cake that has raisins, carraway seeds, and sometimes nuts in it. It’s best served warm with Kerrygold butter (no other brand will do). I’ve had a decent amount of soda bread in my life, and thus my one warning will be that when soda bread is done well, it’s FANTASTIC. However, when it’s bad, it’s bad. I personally use my great grandma’s recipe, because she immigrated from Ireland so it’s totally legit.
Dessert
There are really two main St. Patty’s Day desserts: a normal dessert dyed green and anything with Bailey’s. Pretty much any dessert can be made honorarily Irish with some green food dye, which is a solid choice. As well, Bailey’s Irish cream is a common *adult* dessert choice, but it can also be made into cheesecake, parfaits, etc (please just bake the alcohol out).
STEP TWO: Consume Irish Media
What better way to celebrate the most Irish holiday than to watch some Irish movies, TV, etc? Here’s my definitive list of Irish media to consume this St. Patty’s day.
- Anything with Saoirse Ronan in it
- Luck of the Irish (Disney classic)
- A poem by Seamus Heaney, perhaps?
- Brooklyn (book or movie, which, coincidentally, has Saoirse Ronan in it)
- Your history textbook (Potato Famine!)
- Normal People (book or TV show!)
STEP THREE: Wear green!
Like everything in America, St. Patty’s day is over-commercialized for the sake of capitalistic greed, so green shouldn’t be hard to find. Bonus points for a “Kiss Me, I’m Irish”, a reference to alcohol, or any amount of rainbows, pots of gold, and leprechauns!
I hope that everyone had a great St. Patty’s Day and my tips will help you correctly celebrate in the coming years. Erin Go Bragh, Top of the Morning, and as always, there’s no one as Irish as Barack Obama.
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