By Kaitlin Thaney
For one day of the year, green is not the color of envy but instead, pride — Irish pride. What was once a Catholic holiday has now become a secular day associated with drunken debauchery and bag pipes. Those who are Irish, and those who wish they were, all wait in anticipation of that day in mid-March — St. Patrick’s Day. Since 1737, when St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in the United States, Boston has been known as the place to go to show Irish pride for those who can’t make it out to the homeland itself. Listed below are some options for those looking to put their shelaleh to use and get their Celtic fix, from pubs to the parade. Events in the Greater Boston area:
* The Chieftains, hailing from Ireland, will be playing at Boston Symphony Hall on March 17 at 8 p.m. For ticket information call CelebrityCharge at (617) 482- 6661.
* There will be live Irish music at Tiernan’s Restaurant and Pub in Boston’s Financial District from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tiernan’s will be host to a line-up of Irish music performances. Tiernan’s is located at 99 Broad St. For more information, call (617) 350-7077.
* The Kells Annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, at 161 Brighton Ave., in Allston, will be serving authentic Irish cuisine accompanied by various types of entertainment throughout the day. Ireland’s own chef Maura Casey will be preparing an Irish breakfast beginning at 11 a.m. and serving traditional Irish dinners all day. Entertainment will include Fiona Carson and her #9 Castle View Band, step dancers, bagpipes and Irish DJ’s all day. For more information, call (617) 782- 9082.
* The pinnacle of Boston St. Patrick’s Day events, the 104th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, will be gracing South Boston on Sunday, March 21. The parade steps off at 1 p.m. at the Broadway T station and ends at the Andrew T station. Featured in this parade will be marching bands from all throughout North America, pipe bands and floats. This year, the parade also commemorates the 200th anniversary of
South Boston. For more information, call (617) 268-7955.
* The Kendall Hotel will be offering a St. Patrick’s Day Weekend Package from March 19 to March 22. This package available through the Kendall Hotel, 350 Main St., in Cambridge, will include room, breakfast, parking, a late checkout and a lunch box to take to the parade on Sunday. For more information, check out www.kendallhotel.com or call (617) 577-1300.
* Explore the Irish Heritage Trail right here in Boston. Take this self-guided three-mile walking tour through Boston’s downtown, North End, Beacon Hill neighborhood and Back Bay to see Irish monuments and memorials. Monuments include the Rose Kennedy Garden, which overlooks Boston Harbor, a statue of John F. Kennedy in front of the Massachusetts State House and a statue of James Michael Curley on Union Street, a man that dominated Boston politics for half of the 20th century. The trail starts at the Rose Kennedy Garden at Boston Harbor and ends at the John F. Kennedy Museum and Library in East Boston. For more information, go to www.irishheritage.com.
* Part of the Irish Heritage Trail, the Boston Irish Famine Memorial across from the Old South Meeting House at the corner of Washington and School Street, is another place to check out on this St. Patrick’s Day. Unveiled in 1998 to commemorate the 150th year anniversary of the Irish Famine, this memorial, also along the Freedom Trail, serves as a reminder of what the Irish and other immigrants sought in their travels to the United States. For more information on the memorial, check out www.boston.com/famine.
