Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in New York style

Everyone’s a little bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day right?! Magner’s Brand Ambassador talks us through St. Patrick’s Day in New York City and March 17’s unique energy

Like Magners, St. Patrick’s Day originates in Ireland. It is a holiday with a rich history, rooted in its homeland and celebrated across the world. According to our Brand Ambassador, Luke, we’re all Irish on St. Patrick’s Day - a mindset we can certainly get behind. With the big day just around the corner, Luke talked us through one of his favorite places to celebrate: New York City.

Although the success of a holiday truly comes down to who you’re with (and what’s in your glass), New York is certainly special with its unique energy and homage to tradition.

One of the biggest reasons, New York City is a great place to take in a St. Patrick’s Day Parade is because it is the original home of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  The first official St. Patrick’s Day Parade took place in New York City in 1762 - 14 years before the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence. It was conducted by Irish soldiers fighting in the British Army. It seems only fitting to take in a parade where the first one was held.

Another reason is that you will never struggle to find a place to grab a pint of Magners to celebrate properly. The Big Apple is also home to an impressive number of Irish pubs - more than 120 in Manhattan alone. Take a walk through the city and it will become quite obvious that you can’t hide from the temptation of a good pint.

Yes, St. Patrick’s Day is known for green. Green shirts, green pants, green socks, green drinks, and in New York, this even means green buildings.

Take a look towards 34th street and you’ll see the Empire State Building glowing green as the city pays tribute to Saint Patrick. The city of New York is committed to showing its Irish pride on March 17th!

Ah, Times Square! Known for its busy streets, bright lights, and weird costume characters, but also home to the statue of Francis Duffy.

Duffy served as chaplain for the 69th Infantry Regiment (also known as the "Fighting 69th"), a unit of the New York Army National Guard which was prominently drawn from the city's Irish-American and immigrant population. He became the most highly decorated cleric in the history of the United States Army after recovering wounded soldiers in World War I.

Like Luke says, we’re all Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. Nevertheless, for a good majority of the population of the United States population is a reality. Irish is the second most common ancestry among Americans, with 34.5 million citizens listing their heritage as either primarily or partially Irish.

To compare, the population of the U.S. who identify as Irish is seven times larger than in Ireland itself. 

And if you want to find some of these Irish Americans, New York City is the best place! Throughout the years, the Irish population has settled into many parts of the city. Within these neighborhoods, you can see and feel the traditions that continue to be celebrated today in places like North Riverdale, Bronx, Woodlawn, Queens, or Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

These Irish New York neighborhoods also led to the creation of what we all think of as the traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal. In Ireland, it is tradition to utilize back bacon with your cabbage and potatoes, but when the Irish settled in the States, it was corn beef that they found most widely available from the Jewish butchers.

Over the years the tradition morphed here in the US to be corn beef and cabbage away from the traditional back bacon and cabbage. Either way, enjoy your meal with a cold Magners!

Although it’s easy to get caught up in the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day, we must remember that St. Patrick’s Day starting as a religious holiday.

That being said, in the early years of celebration liquor sales in Ireland were prohibited on the day of March 17. In New York, that’s never been the case, so while the city no longer has to drink one extra Magners for their friends in Ireland, Luke says you might as well do it anyway.

Whether you are celebrating in New York, Boston, Chicago or any other fine place, we’d love to see how you are celebrating using #MagnersSPD or #MagnersUSA. Magners wishes you a Happy and Safe St. Patrick’s Day from the Orchards of Ireland. Sláinte!