O'Yeah: Party the Irish way
Decider rounds up a half-dozen of the Twin Cities' finest St. Patrick's events
Dan Corrigan
Boiled In Lead
Scientists have never been able to satisfactorily explain this phenomenon, but once a year—on March 17, to be precise—strange, possibly magical changes happen to our genetic code. Your blood turns a bright shade of shamrock green. O’s pop up, seemingly at random, in front of surnames like “Johnson” and “Ingeberg.” It’s lucky the phenomenon doesn’t last, lest Shane MacGowan’s dentistry may start mystically spreading through the populace. But today we are all Irish, so let’s make the most of it. Here’s Decider’s picks for St. Patrick’s Day fun.
Boiled In Lead + Roma Di Luna, The Brass Kings, Minnesota Police Pipe Band: First Avenue, 7pm, $10/$12, 18+
If you haven’t made it to a Boiled In Lead show in the 26 years the band has been together, there’s never a better time to start than its always-festive St. Patrick’s Day show. More than merely a Celtic band, BiL packs a dizzying array of instruments and world-music sounds, which should fit perfectly with your dizzying amount of drinks. Roma Di Luna and The Brass Kings add their own old world touches to the evening, and the Minnesota Police Pipe Band should start the event off in the most traditionally Irish way possible.
If you haven’t made it to a Boiled In Lead show in the 26 years the band has been together, there’s never a better time to start than its always-festive St. Patrick’s Day show. More than merely a Celtic band, BiL packs a dizzying array of instruments and world-music sounds, which should fit perfectly with your dizzying amount of drinks. Roma Di Luna and The Brass Kings add their own old world touches to the evening, and the Minnesota Police Pipe Band should start the event off in the most traditionally Irish way possible.
The Belfast Cowboys + St. Dominic's Trio, Hounds Of Finn, The Durty Nellys, Reverse Cowboy, Tom Dahill, Two Tap Trio, Alicia Corbett: Kieran's Irish Pub, 10am, free
Three stages of music is an impressive feat on any occasion. Three stages of music packed with local Irish musicians, gathered at the Twin Cities’ preeminent Irish pub, is especially noteworthy. Kieran’s has collected a wide range of Irish musicians here, ranging from the traditional sounds of Tom Dahill and Hounds Of Finn to the Van Morrison covers of Belfast Cowboys—so boredom should be the least of your concern. Having a menu full of Irish food doesn’t hurt either.
Three stages of music is an impressive feat on any occasion. Three stages of music packed with local Irish musicians, gathered at the Twin Cities’ preeminent Irish pub, is especially noteworthy. Kieran’s has collected a wide range of Irish musicians here, ranging from the traditional sounds of Tom Dahill and Hounds Of Finn to the Van Morrison covers of Belfast Cowboys—so boredom should be the least of your concern. Having a menu full of Irish food doesn’t hurt either.
St. Paul St. Patrick’s Day Association Parade: Fourth Street, downtown St. Paul, noon, free
For decades, the heart of the Irish empire in Minnesota has been St. Paul—you don’t think there’s a major downtown street called “John Ireland Boulevard” for no reason, do you? The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade is a venerable tradition with roots going back more than 150 years, though its current organizers, the St. Patrick’s Association, are relative neophytes, with a mere 43 years of keeping the flame alive. To catch the spectacle of Gaelic pride on the march, stake out a spot downtown on Fourth Street between Sibley Avenue and Rice Park. Optional, but recommended: Put on your best green bowler hat and “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” button—it’s okay if you’re not actually Irish; the rules on those buttons are not terribly strict, and we suspect St. Paul's many Irish-American civic leaders will let it slide this time. Visit stpatsassoc.org for a map of the complete parade route.
For decades, the heart of the Irish empire in Minnesota has been St. Paul—you don’t think there’s a major downtown street called “John Ireland Boulevard” for no reason, do you? The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade is a venerable tradition with roots going back more than 150 years, though its current organizers, the St. Patrick’s Association, are relative neophytes, with a mere 43 years of keeping the flame alive. To catch the spectacle of Gaelic pride on the march, stake out a spot downtown on Fourth Street between Sibley Avenue and Rice Park. Optional, but recommended: Put on your best green bowler hat and “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” button—it’s okay if you’re not actually Irish; the rules on those buttons are not terribly strict, and we suspect St. Paul's many Irish-American civic leaders will let it slide this time. Visit stpatsassoc.org for a map of the complete parade route.
Minneapolis St. Patrick’s Day Association Parade: Nicollet Mall, downtown Minneapolis, 6:30pm, free
For a parade that started 41 years ago as a pub crawl with a single float, the Minneapolis St. Patrick’s Day Association parade has evolved into a gargantuan event, complete with its own set of beauty pageant royalty. Given its later starting time than your average parade, it might still be a glorified pub crawl for you, but how many pub crawls have a history of Vikings players riding motorcycles down the parade route? The parade runs down Nicollet Mall between 13th and Fifth streets; see mplsstpats.org for a map.
For a parade that started 41 years ago as a pub crawl with a single float, the Minneapolis St. Patrick’s Day Association parade has evolved into a gargantuan event, complete with its own set of beauty pageant royalty. Given its later starting time than your average parade, it might still be a glorified pub crawl for you, but how many pub crawls have a history of Vikings players riding motorcycles down the parade route? The parade runs down Nicollet Mall between 13th and Fifth streets; see mplsstpats.org for a map.
O’Gara’s 68th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration: O’Gara’s Bar & Grill, 3pm, free
Parades are great and grand, but marching in them can be more long and exhausting than anything else. Enter O’Gara’s World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade. That name isn’t just blarney: The route winds circuitously through, well, pretty much just O’Gara’s itself. You get all the pomp and circumstance of being in a parade, but you’re marching a distance that’s probably shorter than how far you walked from your car. Throw in three stages of music and you’ve got yourself a good reason to leave work early.
Parades are great and grand, but marching in them can be more long and exhausting than anything else. Enter O’Gara’s World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade. That name isn’t just blarney: The route winds circuitously through, well, pretty much just O’Gara’s itself. You get all the pomp and circumstance of being in a parade, but you’re marching a distance that’s probably shorter than how far you walked from your car. Throw in three stages of music and you’ve got yourself a good reason to leave work early.
Thin Lizzy Party + Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band: Triple Rock Social Club, 7pm, free
Thin Lizzy is often cited as one of the greatest bands to come out of Ireland—there are plenty that might argue with that assertion, but it’s more than reasonable once you add the qualifier “hard-rock” between “greatest” and “bands.” Either way, it’s helped the Triple Rock put a new spin on the St. Pat’s juggernaut for four years now. The night starts off with a classic drum and pipes band, but in case you intend to celebrate St. Patrick's Day free from the wailing sounds of traditional Irish music, the rest of the evening is dedicated to all things Thin Lizzy. (Also worth mentioning: The Electric Fetus is giving away Thin Lizzy CDs and vinyl.) Increase your body's natural percentage of Irishness thanks to drink specials on Guinness, Harp, Jameson, and Powers. Your ears may ring and your liver may be mad, but isn't St. Patrick's Day a night made for trouble?
Thin Lizzy is often cited as one of the greatest bands to come out of Ireland—there are plenty that might argue with that assertion, but it’s more than reasonable once you add the qualifier “hard-rock” between “greatest” and “bands.” Either way, it’s helped the Triple Rock put a new spin on the St. Pat’s juggernaut for four years now. The night starts off with a classic drum and pipes band, but in case you intend to celebrate St. Patrick's Day free from the wailing sounds of traditional Irish music, the rest of the evening is dedicated to all things Thin Lizzy. (Also worth mentioning: The Electric Fetus is giving away Thin Lizzy CDs and vinyl.) Increase your body's natural percentage of Irishness thanks to drink specials on Guinness, Harp, Jameson, and Powers. Your ears may ring and your liver may be mad, but isn't St. Patrick's Day a night made for trouble?
