The Real History of St. Patrick's Day (And What to Eat and Drink)

## St. Patrick's Day: The Story You Probably Don't Know

Every March 17, bars across America turn green. But the real history of St. Patrick's Day is a lot more interesting than green beer and plastic shamrocks.

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## Who Was St. Patrick?

Maewyn Succat was born in Roman Britain around 385 AD — not Ireland. At 16, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and spent six years as a slave working as a shepherd. After escaping back to Britain, he had a religious vision, became a priest, and eventually returned to Ireland as a missionary.

He took the name Patricius (Patrick) and spent the rest of his life converting the Irish to Christianity. He died on March 17, 461 AD. That date became a feast day.

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## How It Became a Holiday

For centuries, March 17 was a quiet religious feast day in Ireland. Pubs were actually closed by law on St. Patrick's Day until 1970.

The holiday we know today was largely invented by Irish immigrants in America. The first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in Boston in 1737. New York's followed in 1762. The celebrations grew into a way for Irish immigrants to express cultural pride and political solidarity.

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## The Food: Why Corned Beef?

Here's the American twist: corned beef is not a traditional Irish dish. In Ireland, the equivalent celebration food was boiled bacon — a salted pork joint.

When Irish immigrants arrived in America in the 1800s, pork was expensive. Their neighbors — largely Jewish immigrants in New York — had beef brisket cured in brine (what we call corned beef). It was cheap, available, and close enough to what they knew. The tradition stuck.

Cabbage was added because it was one of the cheapest vegetables available in America at the time.

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## The Beer: Guinness

Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease on the St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin in 1759 for £45 a year. Guinness stout as we know it today took shape in the early 1800s.

Today, approximately **13 million pints of Guinness** are consumed worldwide on St. Patrick's Day. About 5.5 million of those are in Ireland. In the US, beer sales on St. Patrick's Day are roughly seven times higher than on a normal March day.

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## What We're Pouring on March 17

We'll have Guinness on nitro, green beer (yes, it's just food coloring — yes, we're doing it anyway), and an Irish Mule made with Jameson, ginger beer, and lime.

Kitchen opens at 10am with corned beef and cabbage running all day alongside the regular menu.

Come celebrate the right way.