Local St. Patrick’s Day celebrations abound in the Miami Valley
In just a couple days, millions of Americans will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17. While this holiday turns towns green with all things Irish, the history of the event is actually much more tame than its modern day inception.
The Vatican confirmed the feast day of St. Patrick in 1631, and since St. Patrick is credited with converting many of Ireland’s residents to Christianity, the feast day was a more solemn occasion marked with prayer — and bars were closed since it was a religious feast day. It wasn’t an official holiday in Ireland until 1904.
Throughout the 1920s and up through the 1950s, military parades marched through Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day. In the 1960s, the military parades included more floats and entertainment, and in 1996, the celebration in Ireland was officially dubbed the St. Patrick’s Festival.
In America, the first St. Patrick’s Day celebration was reported to have taken place in Boston around 1737 as a tradition among the elite Irish immigrants. They congregated and paraded as a testament to their Irish heritage, and this became a more important element of immigrants’ identity after the Civil War when more and more people came across the Atlantic to start a new life in America. Eventually, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations also demonstrated solidarity to their native country during a time when Ireland was struggling with its own independence from Great Britain. Supporters would also adopt this “Irish heritage” for a day, regardless of whether any of their ancestors set foot on the Emerald Isle.
This week, you can enjoy the feast of St. Patrick in a number of different ways around the area:
Party Hardy: Here’s a short list of just some of the local watering holes planning St. Patrick’s Day activities:
- Bock Family Brewing, Centerville
- Dublin Pub, Dayton
- Flanagan’s Pub, Dayton
- Mother Stewart’s, Springfield
- Star City, Miamisburg
- Troll Pub, Dayton
Lord of the Dance: Check out these local Irish dance groups that will have performances throughout the week:
City Slams: These local municipalities are offering St. Patrick’s Day celebrations:
