The Wearing of the Green

St. Patrick’s Day falls on March 17 every year. Most of us know that St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. In the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday. Though that is not the case in the United States, it can often feel like it is in many cities because of their large Irish-American populations. Great Britain, Canada, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, also have notable St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Many American cities claim to have the quintessential St. Patrick’s Day bash. Boston, New York and Savannah all believe their shamrocks are biggest. But for my greenbacks, the windy city is the place to be when March is turning from lioness to lamb.

My home town turns the Chicago River green on this day each year, and huge crowds line the street to watch the massive St. Paddy’s Day parade—those who aren’t marching in it, that is. In the 1993 movie The Fugitive, Tommy Lee Jones chases Harrison Ford through Chicago’s parade. The scene looks so real because it is. They filmed it during an actual parade back when the route was in the loop, near the financial district.

In days of yore I slipped away from my office on LaSalle Street each year to watch. I never worried about getting my hands slapped. The odds of bumping into an executive on any corner—or even seeing one float by (on wheels, not beer fumes)–were too high.

This year’s Chicago parade starts at 12 noon at Balbo and S. Columbus Drive. If you attend it, be sure to check out some Irish hospitality and green beer in the city’s many Irish pubs and restaurants.

If you plan to eat your corned beef and boiled potatoes at home, keep your Irish eyes smiling with a little visit by the Irish Tenors.

Either way, Éirinn go Brách.

How do you plan to celebrate?

Image: criminalatt / FreeDigitalPhotos.net