Throw an Irish Pub Party This St. Patrick's Day!

A Guide to Celebrating Ireland in Irish Style

 

For many people, St. Patrick's Day is about nothing more than green beer and raucous partying.  I have actually been to one St. Patrick's Day party where the host restaurant apparently thought that rap music and green tinsel were the appropriate accoutrements for the holiday.  (Not so, my friends.)  If you are reading this, you are obviously interested in showing some real Irish pride-- regardless of whether you're Irish or not-- and celebrating St. Patrick's Day in proper Celtic style.  However, not all of us are able to reach a traditional tavern for the event, and some of us would rather avoid the traffic and crowds of strangers.  Do not despair, Mo Chairde!  Below you'll find some fun (and often cost effective) ideas for turning your home into an Irish pub for the night!

Decor
Okay, step one: lose the cartoon leprechauns and green glitter.  To create a pub atmosphere, choose your location with old world charm in mind.  It can be rustic, stately, homey, or anything in between.  You can even use an outdoor space, if the evening will be warm enough, or give a modern room a more pub-like look with a few well chosen decorations or accents.

As far as party decorations are concerned, try to focus on tasteful things like Celtic knot work, pub signs, old beer signs, and Irish flags.  Sure, you can include a few shamrocks, too, but try to make them dark or muted greens that blend well with the pub ambiance.

Sound difficult?  Not to worry!  Here are a few ideas to get you started!  Firstly, you can easily make some of your own decorations.  Search local thrift stores, junk shops, and even dollar stores for inexpensive picture frames.  Look for frames that are made of wood, or that appear to be old.  Next, search the internet for images of Celtic knots, Irish beer and whiskey logos, antique maps of Ireland, or even famous Irish writers and poets.  Print out the images in color, place them into the picture frames, and hang or prop your new decorations around the room.

Here are some pages of printable art to get you started on your hunt:
 A Collection of Celtic Art on Pinterest 
Celtic Knot Art 
Irish Beer Labels 
Irish Pub Signs 

Of course, not all of your decorations have to be homemade.  If you know where to look, you can find great Irish party decorations online.  There are banners, personalized pub signs, and even Celtic knot window art at prices to fit every budget.  Here are some examples:

Personalized Pub Banner - $15
Slainte (Irish Toast) Wall Plaque - $15
Large Irish Flag - $2.99
Shenanigans Wall Plaque - $4.98 (on sale)
Handmade Erin Go Bragh ("Ireland Forever") Garland - $26

Along with decorating your space, you will, of course, want to set a welcoming table that helps fits the pub atmosphere.  Whether you plan on serving dinner or hors d'oeuvres, your guests should feel the relaxed, old world charm that is the theme of your party.  Can such a thing be done without great expense?  Of course!  Once again, I have some suggestions for you to consider:

Two-Dozen Irish Pub Party Plates - $3.50
Irish Ale Napkins - $2.25
12 Irish Pub Coasters - $3.00
12 Shamrock Pint Glasses - $14 

Menu
Step two: never let your guests go hungry.  Since you are celebrating St. Patrick's Day, you may want to offer some traditional Irish fare for your guest's enjoyment.  Contrary to popular belief, corned beef and cabbage is not an Irish dish.  (It actually originated here in America.)  Some savory Irish delights you might consider include boxty, bangers and mash, fadge, shepherd's pie (made with mutton, not beef,) soda bread, lamb in stout sauce, and beef and barley stew.  There are a great number of resources for traditional and pseudo-traditional Irish recipes online.  Here are a couple to get you started:

17 St. Patrick's Day Recipes 
Large Collection of Traditional Irish Recipes 
Traditional Irish Recipes 

 
Needless to say, you will need drinks.  After all, what's a pub without whiskey and ale?  Or you might prefer Irish Cream Liqueur, or even Irish-themed cocktails.  Serve up a variety of drinks for your friends, but for the love of all things sacred, skip the green dyed Bud Light.  It's about as Irish as egg roles, and any connoisseur of good Celtic brews will agree that light beers taste dreadful.  However, offering good pints doesn't mean you have to blow your budget.  Killian's Irish Red, Smithwick's. Guinness, and Magner's Irish Cider are among the lowest priced options, but they are not the only ones.  Here are some sites listing low-cost, high-quality beers and whiskeys:

Best Bargain Irish Whiskeys
Top Ten Irish Beers

And, of course, here are some drink recipes using that delightful drink, Irish Cream, or simply offering ideas for Irish-themed cocktails.  Some of these may not be traditional, but they are delicious.

Bailey's Irish Cream Recipes
Irish Whiskey Cocktails

Music
Step three: set the mood with music.  To complete the Irish pub ambiance, you will want to play some fitting music.  You don't have to spend a lot on music-- in fact, you don't have to spend anything at all.  Set up a digital device to stream music from YouTube playlists, Pandora, or Grooveshark.  (Just be sure you use quality speakers!)  There is a lot of great Celtic music out there, but there are other options as well.

Depending on the energy level you are trying achieve at your party, this can range from traditional Celtic aires to Irish jigs and reels and even to Celtic Rock.  Having a dinner party with some colleagues?  Play a selection of soft Irish tunes by bands such as Solas, Joanie Madden, De Danann, Nightnoise, and Silly Wizard.  You may even want to try some Celtic New Age music, like that of Lisa Lynne, Aine Minogue, Clannad, and Gary Stadler.  Trying to set an authentic old-world pub mood?  Look up rousing pub songs and spirited jigs by bands like Gaelic Storm, Old Blind Dogs, Circled by Hounds, and the Chieftains.  Throwing a pub party for friends whose musical tastes may not run to strictly traditional forms?  No problem!  Plenty of Celtic Rock bands blend traditional instruments with rock flair.  Try music by Wolfstone, Enter the Haggis, Off Kilter, the Young Dubliners, and Runrig.  Or, if the rougher sounds of punk rock are more your style, look for Flogging Molly, Black 47, Dropkick Murphys, and the Pogues.

 Entertainment
Step four: have some fun.  After all, this is a celebration, right?  You will want to consider what kinds of entertainment you will offer at your pub party.  Some obvious choices, of course, include card games, darts, and Irish drinking games.  Another fun option is to purchase some St. Patrick's Day dice, which will require guests to do things such as take a shot while hopping on one leg, or kiss someone while standing on a table.  If you really want to get into the spirit, try a little Ceilidh, or Irish couples dancing.  There are free videos on You Tube and similar sites to teach you the basics, such as this one, which will instruct you in a simple dance called the Walls of Limerick 

As the evening winds down, you may also want to offer a movie as a form of entertainment for your friends.  There are more options out there than you may think.  Here are a few to consider:

Irish Drama and Action Movies
The Boondock Saints
Dancing at Lughnasa
The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Odine
Dear Frankie (Well, okay, this one is actually Scottish, but it's a great movie, and Scotland doesn't get enough representation in the American holiday calendar.  So, we'll just say that any movie from a Goidellic Celtic nation is fair game.)

Irish Comedy and Family Movies
Waking Ned Devine
The Stone of Destiny
Rory O'Shea Was Here
The Secret of Roan Innish

Irish Dance Movies
Riverdance
Lord of the Dance
Feet of Flames
Dancing on Dangerous Ground
Gaelforce Dance
The Magic of the Dance

Starting with these suggested ideas, and building with your own creativity, your Irish pub party is certain to be a smashing success.  It will be a celebration of friendship, fun, and all things Irish.  St. Patrick would be proud, and you may never want to dress up like a leprechaun and drink green beer again.