“Kiss me, I’m Irish” T-shirts will likely be a rare sight at St. Patrick’s Day festivities this year. As Atlanta tentatively begins hosting public events again, celebrations promise to be socially distanced and masked.
“This year we’re just grateful that we’re going to have St. Patrick’s Day,” said John Piccirillo, chief marketing officer for Fadó Irish Pubs. “Last year everything came to a grinding halt a couple days before St. Patrick’s Day. But it will be very different, unlike anything we’ve seen since we’ve been in business for 25 years.”
The Hibernian Benevolent Society of Atlanta has canceled its beloved St. Patrick’s Day parade this year, but there are several festivities on tap for those itching to get out and raise a glass to the patron saint of Ireland.
And because there are more ways to honor the spirit of the Emerald Isle than by drinking beer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also offers some alternative ways to celebrate all things Irish.
Credit: Fredrik Brauer
Credit: Fredrik Brauer
Special Events
Fadó Irish Pub Midtown
Fadó Irish Pub in Midtown aims to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day safely during the pandemic by limiting seating capacity and hosting events on multiple nights in hope of spreading revelers out over time. Festivities include a Slane Happy Hour with cocktail specials on March 12, Guinness pints giveaway March 13, Irish dancers March 14, Irish-themed trivia and a tasting of Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey March 16. The celebration starts early the actual day, March 17, with Kegs and Eggs at 8 a.m. and will last until late in the evening.
Revelers can dine on Harp-battered chicken tenders, fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, corned beef with cabbage, and wash it all down with draft Guinness directly from the brewery in Dublin. “It’s the best Guinness in the country,” said Piccirillo. “For a lot of people, it’s the only time during the year when they drink it, and the experience is always the same, which is, ‘I didn’t realize I liked it that much.’ I also think we have the best Irish old-fashion in the city.” It’s made with Jameson Irish whiskey, naturally.
933 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-260-7910, fadoirishpub.com/atlanta-midtown
ShamRock
There will be plenty of green to enjoy at Park Tavern’s ShamRock celebration, thanks to the brew pub’s enormous patio and expanse of grassy lawn facing Piedmont Park. Musical entertainment will be provided by Flannel Nation, a ’90s tribute band, and Noonday Sons, a Southern rock jam band. Revelers will want to stock up on Booze & Bite tickets to purchase food and drinks. Fried oysters, chicken tenders and gator baskets are on the menu. Park Tavern makes its own seasonal beers, which are always unfiltered and unpasteurized, and offers a large selection of cocktails. For ages 21 and up. Masks are required and social distancing is encouraged.
3-11 p.m. March 13. Admission $20, $25 door. Booze & Bite tickets $45 for six, $100 for 14. Park Tavern, 500 10th St., Atlanta. 404-249-0001, parktavern.com
St. Patrick’s Day Live! at the Battery Atlanta
Celebrate with green beer, drink specials, live music, games and more at the Battery Atlanta. There are two price packages: Shamrocks and Shenanigans includes access to the festivities and one drink ticket. Luckiest of Charms includes all that plus access to food stations in Coors Banquet. Those on a budget will want to buy their tickets early because prices go up the closer it gets to the day of the event. For ages 21 and up. Masks required.
3-11:30 p.m., March 13. $20 and up. 825 Battery Ave., Atlanta. 404-965-2511, liveatthebatteryatlanta.com
Take a road trip
Shamrock City
Rock City Gardens on Lookout Mountain brings back live events in 2021 starting with its Irish festival, Shamrock City. Dine on corned beef and cabbage sandwiches, shepherd’s pie stuffed baked potatoes, Scotch eggs, Guinness stout cake and green funnel cakes while enjoying performances by bagpipers, harpists, Irish dancers and Jerry the Mime. For kids, there’s a scavenger hunt and Bagby’s Critter Corral, featuring Suffolk sheep and a Scottish Highland cow. For an additional fee, enjoy the ShamROCK Supper ‘N Show, a concert and a meal of cottage pie and Irish soda bread with entertainment by the Molly Maguires for three shows on Saturday and Olta for three shows on Sunday. While you’re there, don’t miss the green waterfall. Rock City’s capacity is limited due to the pandemic, so advance ticket purchase is recommended. Masks are required and social distancing is encouraged.
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., March 13-14, March 20-21. Admission $14.95-$26.95. Shamrock Supper N Show $30.95-$42.95. Rock City Gardens, 1400 Patten Road, Lookout Mountain. 706-820-2531, seerockcity.com/shamrock
Watch a movie
“The Secret of Roan Inish”
This 1994 drama is a captivating, family-friendly movie directed by John Sayles that capitalizes on the Irish tradition of storytelling and the legend of the selkies, female spirits that shape shift into seals. After the death of her mother, 10-year-old Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents in Donegal in the mid-’40s. Not long after she arrives, she begins slipping off by boat to the mysterious island of her ancestors, Roan Inish, in search of her long-lost baby brother. Stream on Amazon Prime, Pluto, and YouTube.
“Darby O’Gill and the Little People”
The storyline might be a bit old-fashioned and convoluted for today’s children, but Baby Boomers may get a nostalgic kick out of watching this classic 1959 Disney fantasy adventure about the impoverished caretaker of an estate who captures the leprechaun king and is granted three wishes. Of particular interest are the trippy special effects of the leprechaun party in a cave and the wailing banshee who portends death. The love interest of the caretaker’s daughter is played by a very young Sean Connery. Stream on Disney+.
Read a book
For an authentic Irish experience, far removed from the clichés of leprechauns and green beer, read the literary debut of Louise Kennedy, a 53-year-old former chef from Northern Ireland. The subject of a publishers’ bidding war, “The End of the World is a Cul de Sac” (Bloomsbury, $18.85) is a short story collection that examines the intersection of the political and the personal in terse, unadorned prose. Included is Kennedy’s prize-winning story “In Silhouette,” a look behind the scenes at IRA’s violent activities during the Northern Ireland conflict that humanizes the participants without glorifying them. Available through Amazon.com/uk.
Bake a nosh
Since Parish Brasserie and Neighborhood Café recently closed, fans of the seasonal Irish soda bread muffins created by pastry chef Kaitie Trent will have to make their own this year. Her recipe adapts the delicious unleavened bread into a single, handheld serving with a slightly sweet topping.
Irish soda bread muffins
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup dried currants
¼ cup butter, melted
Place the flour, sugar, salt, caraway seeds, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Using a whisk, stir the ingredients to combine them well. In a separate medium-sized bowl place the egg, buttermilk and oil. Using a whisk again, mix the ingredients until they are homogenous. Pour the liquid components into the dry components, stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon until the mixture has just started to come together. A few lumps will remain; this is OK. Last, gently fold the melted butter into the batter until no traces of the butter can be seen throughout. Finish by folding in the currants and resting the batter for thirty minutes or an hour if possible in the refrigerator.
To bake:
Prepare your muffin tin by greasing with your preferred non-stick spray or butter (or use disposable muffin cups). Fill each cup three-fourths full. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on the surface of each muffin to add an extra touch of sweetness and a slight crunch to the top. Bake at 400ºF for 15 minutes. Cool for five minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Serve warm, with butter, jam or honey.
Makes: 1 dozen muffins
Per muffin: 232 calories (percent of calories from fat, 35), 4 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 9 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 29 milligrams cholesterol, 264 milligrams sodium.
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