Every March 17, something remarkable happens across the United States. Cities dye their rivers green, millions of Americans proudly claim Irish heritage (whether they have it or not), and neighborhoods fill with the sounds of fiddles, laughter, and clinking glasses. St. Patrick’s Day has become one of America’s most beloved celebrations – and for good reason.
While the holiday has deep roots in Irish Catholic tradition, America has made it entirely its own. In fact, the grand public parade tradition that most of us associate with St. Patrick’s Day didn’t originate in Ireland at all – it was born right here in the United States, first recorded in Boston as early as 1737. That makes St. Patrick’s Day, in many ways, a quintessentially American holiday just as much as it is an Irish one.
Whether you’re of Irish descent or simply love any excuse to celebrate with your community, here are 10 genuinely fun ways to mark St. Patrick’s Day this year.
1. Learn the REAL Story of St. Patrick
Before the parades and the pints, there’s a fascinating man behind the holiday. St. Patrick was actually born in Roman Britain around 385 AD — not Ireland. He was kidnapped as a teenager, enslaved in Ireland for six years, and eventually escaped before returning as a Christian missionary. Far from the lucky leprechaun imagery of modern celebrations, the historical St. Patrick was a figure of remarkable resilience and faith.
Taking a few minutes to share this story with your family or friends adds genuine depth to the day. It’s a story of survival, determination, and purpose — values that resonate far beyond any single culture.
2. Cook a Traditional Irish-American Feast
Corned beef and cabbage is the St. Patrick’s Day meal most Americans know, but interestingly, it’s more Irish-American than traditionally Irish. Irish immigrants in New York adapted the dish from their Jewish neighbors on the Lower East Side in the late 1800s, since it was more affordable than the bacon they were used to back home.
For your celebration, try going all-in on a proper Irish-American spread:
- Corned beef and cabbage — slow-cooked until perfectly tender
- Irish soda bread — dense, slightly sweet, and wonderful with butter
- Colcannon — mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale mixed in
- Shepherd’s pie — ground lamb (or beef) topped with creamy mashed potatoes
- Bailey’s Irish Cream cheesecake — a crowd-pleasing dessert
Cooking together is a wonderful way to involve the whole family and create lasting St. Patrick’s Day memories.
3. Attend (or Watch) a St. Patrick’s Day Parade
America is home to some of the world’s most spectacular St. Patrick’s Day parades. The New York City parade, held since 1762, is one of the oldest and largest civilian parades on the planet. Chicago famously dyes the Chicago River a vivid emerald green. Boston, Savannah, and Philadelphia all throw enormous celebrations with deep historical roots.
If you can’t make it to a big-city parade, chances are your own town has something going on. Local St. Patrick’s Day parades are a great way to connect with your community and enjoy a festive atmosphere. Check your local events calendar starting in early March so you don’t miss out.
4. Explore Your Irish-American Heritage
Roughly 31.5 million Americans claim Irish ancestry — that’s nearly seven times the current population of Ireland itself. If you’re one of them, St. Patrick’s Day is a perfect occasion to dig into your family history.
Websites like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org have digitized millions of immigration records, census data, and genealogy documents that can help you trace your family’s journey from Ireland to America. You might discover which county your ancestors came from, what ship they sailed on, or what drove them to emigrate during the Great Famine of the 1840s — when over a million Irish died and another million fled, many landing on American shores.
Even if you don’t have Irish roots, exploring the broader story of Irish immigration is a powerful way to appreciate how profoundly this community shaped the American identity.
5. Visit a Local Irish Pub and Support Small Businesses ;)
Is there anything more quintessentially St. Patrick’s Day than gathering at an Irish pub? From the warmth of the atmosphere to the live traditional music, Irish pubs have a culture all their own — and America has thousands of outstanding ones.
This St. Patrick’s Day, make a point of supporting a locally owned Irish pub or Irish restaurant in your area rather than a chain. These small businesses are often family-run, deeply community-rooted, and absolutely in their element on March 17. Call ahead for reservations — they’ll be busy!
6. Listen to Traditional Irish Music (and Maybe Learn a Step or Two)
Irish traditional music — fiddles, tin whistles, uilleann pipes, and bodhrán drums — is one of the great musical traditions of the world. St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect excuse to explore it.
Spotify and YouTube have excellent playlists of traditional Irish music, from classic jigs and reels to more modern Celtic folk. (I put one example below.) If you want to go a step further, look for a local Irish céilí (a traditional social dance event) near you. Irish step dancing classes often welcome curious beginners around St. Patrick’s Day, and it’s more fun than it looks.
7. Read Irish and Irish-American Literature
Some of history’s greatest writers have been Irish or Irish-American. St. Patrick’s Day is a wonderful excuse to pick up a book and spend an afternoon with one of them.
A few standout suggestions:
- Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt — a Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir about growing up in poverty in Limerick
- The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde — plays, poems, and prose from one of history’s wittiest writers
- Dubliners by James Joyce — a masterful collection of short stories about Irish life
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith — a classic American novel with deep Irish-American themes
Reading is one of the quieter but richest ways to connect with a culture and its stories.
8. Make Green-Themed Crafts with the Kids
If you have children at home, St. Patrick’s Day offers endless craft possibilities. A few easy and beloved ideas:
- Rainbow and pot-of-gold art using watercolors or construction paper
- Shamrock printing using celery stalks dipped in green paint
- Leprechaun traps — a classic childhood tradition where kids engineer elaborate contraptions to catch the wily leprechaun (and wake up to find glitter and tiny footprints instead)
- Green slime or sensory play for the little ones
These activities make the holiday magical for children and create the kind of memories they’ll carry for years.
9. Watch a Great Irish or Irish-American Film
Hollywood has produced some extraordinary films rooted in Irish and Irish-American stories. Set up a St. Patrick’s Day movie night with some of these enduring classics:
- The Quiet Man (1952) — John Ford’s stunning love story set in the Irish countryside
- Brooklyn (2015) — a beautifully observed story of Irish immigration to 1950s New York
- Gangs of New York (2002) — a gritty portrait of Irish immigrant life in 19th century Manhattan
- The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) — a darkly funny and deeply moving film set on a remote Irish island
Pair with Irish snacks and good company for a perfect evening in.
10. Fly the American Flag with Green Pride — A Nod to Irish-American Heritage
Here’s an idea that connects St. Patrick’s Day to a deeply patriotic tradition: fly your American flag with extra pride this March 17.
The Irish-American story is, at its core, one of the most powerful threads in the fabric of American history. Irish immigrants — many arriving with little more than their work ethic and their faith — built railroads, dug canals, fought in the Civil War (entire Union brigades were made up almost exclusively of Irish immigrants), became police officers, firefighters, teachers, and eventually senators, congressmen, and presidents.
When you raise your American flag on St. Patrick’s Day, you’re honoring that legacy. You might even consider pairing it with a green ribbon or a small shamrock decoration near your flagpole to acknowledge the Irish-American heritage that helped build this nation.
At Star Spangled Flags, our American flags are made 100% in the USA — proudly crafted from durable, heavyweight nylon with embroidered stars and vibrant, fade-resistant colors. Flying one on St. Patrick’s Day is a beautiful way to honor both the nation these immigrants built and the heritage they brought with them. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to a truly premium American flag, there’s no better time to do it than a holiday that celebrates the very best of the American immigrant story.
The Green and the Red, White, and Blue
St. Patrick’s Day is more than a party — it’s a celebration of resilience, community, and the enduring human drive to build something new. The Irish who came to America brought their traditions, their music, their faith, and their toughness. They shaped cities, won wars, and left an indelible mark on what it means to be American.
However you choose to celebrate this March 17, we hope you do it with joy, good food, and a little green. And if you’re flying your flag proudly in the yard — well, that’s as American (and as Irish-American) as it gets.
Erin go Bragh. And God Bless America.
Looking for a premium American flag to fly with pride this St. Patrick’s Day and beyond? Browse our full collection of 100% Made in USA flags at StarSpangledFlags.com.
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About the author
Barry Mason is a proud third-generation American whose grandfather served in World War II. Born and raised in small-town Tennessee, Barry developed a deep appreciation for American history and traditions from an early age, learning about the sacrifices made by previous generations. Barry has spent over a decade writing about flag etiquette, patriotic traditions, military history, and the stories behind America's most cherished symbols. When he's not researching the fascinating history of Old Glory, you can find Barry volunteering at veterans' events, coaching youth baseball, or exploring America's national parks with his family. A firm believer in supporting American manufacturing and small businesses, Barry is passionate about celebrating the craftspeople who keep American traditions alive. He lives with his wife and two children in a home where the American flag flies proudly every day. Favorite quote: "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." - Ronald Reagan
