Top 5 ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s with Irish flair

Bryna Shuman, Features Editor

via Wikipedia

St. Patrick’s Day is next Monday and there are plenty of ways to celebrate besides a beer crawl through New York City. Learn a little more about Irish culture, explore the city and join the celebrations with these St. Patrick’s Day options.

Irish Music

Put yourself in the Irish mindset this St. Patrick’s Day with some traditional music. Paddy Reilly’s Music Bar offers live music seven days a week, alternating between traditional Irish and Celtic rock, in addition to a full Guinness draught bar. For a different type of show, get tickets for “Once,” a Broadway musical set in Dublin that features stellar Irish music. (Paddy’s Reilly’s Music Bar, 519 Second Ave. Tickets for “Once” start at $49.50.)

Tenement Museum

Jump into the past by taking a tour of the homes of Irish immigrants. The Tenement Museum offers visitors the chance to learn more about Irish immigrants by exploring the restored home of the Moore family, which moved to America in the late 1860s. The tour takes an inside look at the Moore’s struggles, from anti-immigrant tensions in their neighborhood to family tragedies. (The Tenement Museum, 103 Orchard St. Irish Outsiders Tour, $20 with student ID.)

Scavenger Hunt

Grab some friends and team up for the Amazing New York Scavenger Hunt: St. Patrick’s Day Edition. Decked head to toe in bright green, teams are sent on a three-hour quest through New York City, following a series of clues sent to them through a smartphone app. The teams will have to successfully complete various mental or physical tasks and return first in order to win the grand prize. (137 Ludlow St., March 16, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event costs $20.)

Traditional Food

Celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day with some traditional Irish food. McSorley’s Old Ale House has been around for over 150 years and offers a nostalgic atmosphere along with good food and cheap house brews. The Black Sheep offers traditional Irish fare like beer-battered fish and chips ($12), bangers and mash ($11) and shepherd’s pie ($12), in addition to a heaping of Irish luck, evidenced by the 25,000 pennies decorating the bar top. For a more hands-on activity, take a class and learn to cook your own beef and Guinness stew and traditional Irish sweet cake. (McSorley’s Old Ale House, 15 E. Seventh St. The Black Sheep, 583 Third Ave. Bowery Cooking Center, 95 E. Houston St. March 15, 2 to 5 p.m. The event costs $45.)

St. Patrick’s Day Parades

Wear your green beads and shamrock hats and join the party. The Bronx will celebrate with the 16th annual Throggs Neck St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 16, starting at noon near East Tremont and Lafayette avenues.

Manhattan’s annual blowout bash will march down Fifth Avenue beginning at 11 a.m. on March 17, with a procession of honor guards, bagpipers and Irish step dancers. Brooklyn keeps the party going for an extra week, throwing its parade at 1 p.m. on March 23.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, March 10 print edition. Bryna Shuman is features editor. Email her at [email protected].