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Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the Traditional Way at Paddy O’Leary’s
Which of the following phrases are you likely to hear on March 17 in County Wicklow, Ireland:
1. “Kiss me, I’m Irish.”
2. “Suns, moons, stars and clovers … it’s magically delicious.”
3. “Pinch him, he’s not wearing green!”
4. “I love American beer.”
The answer is none of the above.
Because in Ireland, the Irish celebrate St. Patrick’s day as a family affair, starting with celebrating mass then sitting down to a big family feast, similar to the Thanksgiving meal in the U.S. Later, everyone spends the rest of the day in the pub, singing Irish tunes and hoisting pints of Guinness and Harp.
Seamas Hunt, one of the proprietors of Paddy O’Leary’s Irish Pub on Pensacola Beach knows Irish traditions because he himself is an authentic Irishman hailing from County Wicklow.
This year, he and his business partner, Gary Humphrey, brought the Paddy O’Leary’s back from the devastation of Hurricane Ivan to a new, improved pub more authentic than ever. They hired an architect who specializes in designing Irish pubs to revamp the space, making more effective use of the seating areas, installing a wood burning fireplace and extending the bar an additional (?) feet to resemble the pubs you might stumble into in Ireland.
This year, the pub will celebrate its first St. Patrick’s Day since the remodeling, and Hunt and Humphrey have a big event planned.
Kicking off at 9 a.m, the cooks will begin preparing a big traditional feast of Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes to wash down with plenty of 20-oz. Pints of Guinness and Harp. The air will be full of traditional Irish music from artists such as Tom Berman and Deul Christian on the bagpipes and tin whistles. Other traditional Irish musicians will be on hand, appearing throughout the day and night. Thursday night is always Traditional Irish Music night at Paddy O’Leary’s and this one, being St. Patrick’s Day, promises even more Gaellic fun!
Also on St Patrick’s Day Paddy O’Leary’s is going to do a reenactment of the famous Irish song “Tim Finnigan’s Wake,” with coffin and mourners and all in the pub.
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