1. Cook some Irish dishes
You can take the traditional route and cook corned beef cabbage and soda bread, or if you’re feeling experimental, whip up some
Guinness stout cake and potato scones. Either way, you can go ahead right now and add cabbage and potatoes to your grocery list.
2. Wear green AND orange
Wearing green and celebrating St. Patrick’s Day are practically synonymous, but few Americans recognize the holiday’s other color: orange. The Republic of Ireland’s flag features both colors, and anyone who’s been lucky enough to spend the holiday in Dublin knows you’ll see plenty of both—this stems more from a historical religious background rather than a purely nationalistic one, though. While the holiday’s color was originally blue, it came to be represented by the color green in 1798 in recognition of St. Patrick (specifically his signature clover) and his Catholic teachings. While green came to be associated with Catholics, orange was associated with Protestants (after Protestant King of England William of Orange), who would protest the holiday by wearing their alternate hue.
Nowadays, however, the two colors are worn more in appreciation of the flag than one’s own religious preferences. So keep it minimalist with some orange and green bracelets, or go all out with a tricolored wig and a leprechaun beard for bonus points and public admiration.
3. Listen to Irish music
Even if you don’t listen to Irish jig music in your spare time, you can still appreciate music from a host of cool Irish bands and musicians. Artists like Sinéad O’Conner and Van Morrison are globally iconic, and groups like The Cranberries and Flogging Molly offer a more stereotypically Irish sound. Check out lists like this or this to get an idea of what to rock out to.
4. Drink like an Irishman (or woman)
This isn’t limited to alcohol, although any Irish person will tell you that whiskey and beer are fairly culturally significant. If you’re 21, enjoy your morning with a traditional Irish coffee and your evening with a Guinness, or an Irish label whiskey like Jameson or Bushmills. If you’re trying to keep it non-alcoholic, indulge in a virgin Shillelagh or get creative with non-alcoholic Crème de Menthe and various mixers. Or, if we’re being honest, just go for a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake.
5. Learn some Irish slang
The Irish are blessed with both great slang as well as their own language. Most Irish colloquialisms sound fairly British in nature, but every now and then some Gaelic influences creep in, leading to some pretty fabulous terminology. Here’s a list of some of the highlights:
Bang on – correct/accurate (“that analysis was bang on!”)
Banjaxed – really broken (“that car is banjaxed”)
Black Stuff – Guinness (“I’ll have a pint of the black stuff”)
Craic – fun, or gossip (“What’s the craic?”)
Codding ya – pulling someone’s leg (“Don’t get upset, I was just codding ya”)
Eejit – total fool (“He’s such an eejit”)
Fluthered; ossified; langers; locked – hammered (“I got completely ossified last night”)
Fooster – fiddling about, not getting work done (“You’re taking forever to get ready, stop foostering!”)
Gurrier – hooligan (“did you see that group of gurriers at the mall?”)
Mitch – to play hooky (“I was on the mitch from school today”)
Narky – cranky (“Stop being so narky!”)
Nip – naked (“he was running across the Sunken Gardens in the nip!”)
Scanger – a broad, generalized insult (“I can’t believe she’d do that, she’s such a scanger”)
Throw shapes – Aggressively show off or put up a front (“Don’t just throw shapes!”)
6. Brush up on your Irish culture and history
In between your normal St. Patrick’s Day festivities, try and take time to learn a little bit about the country you love so much one day a year. Critically acclaimed films like The Crying Game and In The Name of the Father delve into the IRA conflict that spanned from the 1960’s to the 1990’s, and a quick Google search will give you a run-down of St. Patrick’s Day’s origins and traditional Irish celebratory activities. Then again, any Liam Neeson movie will probably suffice, too.
Lá Shona Fhéile Pádraig!