St. Patrick’s Day guide, St Patrick’s Day party, St. Patrick’s Day movies

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On March 17, the feast day of a little known 5th century missionary, the Chicago River is dyed green; college kids in Venice, California wait outside an Irish pub as early as 5:00 am; Montreal holds its annual St. Patrick’s Day parade – the longest running in world history. Yes, all around the world everyone is Irish on March 17. Corned beef and cabbage and Guinness are plentiful; jigs and leprechauns abound; and St. Patrick’s Day ranks as one of the few dates in which planet Earth unites in an eclectic form of harmony. Here’s a fun guide for the annual event.

Bullz-Eye Features


Amanda Neal8 Redheads for St. Patrick’s Day

When enjoying St. Patrick’s Day, we hope your day will be filled with beer, delicious Irish food and some lovely ladies with beautiful red hair. To get you in the mood, we’ve put together a quick slideshow of Bullz-Eye redheads, led by lovely Amanda in her St. Patrick’s Day gear.

St. Patty's Day ReubenSt. Patty's Day reuben
March 16, 2010

Corned beef takes center stage this time of year, and Mike delivers a St. Patty's Reuben using coleslaw instead of the traditional sauerkraut. Eat, drink and be Irish!

Resources

Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.com
Called “The Largest Irish Parade Website in the World: Where the Irish Meet on the Internet for Parade Information,” this site recognizes that one of the mainstay fixtures of St. Patrick’s Day is a parade. Whether you’re a Grand Marshal Irishman, a member of participating group, or just a face in the crowd, you can check out major parades near your town with features like parade routes, parade history, and information on the parade committee.

Saint Patrick’s Day History
St. Patrick’s Day observes of the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The holiday has evolved into a celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, drinking and a whole lot of green.

The Holiday Spot
It’s hard not to get caught up in all things Irish on March 17th. The Holiday Spot covers all the St. Patrick’s Day bases, including some jokes for you to master before you showcase your Irish wit at the pub.

Food

Best St. Patrick's Day Recipes
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Irish-inspired foods like corned beef and cabbage, shepherd's pie and Irish soda bread.

5 Obligatory Irish Foods You Should Be Eating on St. Patrick's Day
Even if decking yourself in green on St. Patrick's Day isn't your thing, odds are you can get down with some traditional Irish foods.

5 things you should eat on St. Patrick’s Day
While we all like a good pint of Guiness or other beer of choice on this Irish-inspired holiday, it also brings to mind a few choice food items.

Luck O’ the Irish on Film

The Fugitive
One of the highlight scenes in the 1993 thriller was the chase sequence in downtown Chicago on St. Patrick’s Day. Filmed during the city’s 1992 St. Patrick’s Day parade, Harrison Ford eludes Tommy Lee Jones by melding into the sea of green and donning a discarded bowler hat for a disguise. Not only is it an effective action scene but it impressively makes the viewer feel part of Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Gangs of New York
Scorsese’s 2002 epic set in New York’s Five Points area in the 1860s follows Irishman Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he wages war with Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis). Scorsese’s unsentimental approach to the life and trials of the Irish in America is one of the few portrayals of early Irish immigrants and what they faced – including a dynamite sequence with immigrant men upon arrival in Ellis Island immediately put into Union uniforms to fight the Civil War. The musical score features Irish themed music by Howard Shore as well as popular music of the time.

In America
From Irish director Jim Sheridan, this 2002 film follows an Irish immigrant family and their integration in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen in the 1980s. It stars Samantha Morton and Djimon Honsou, who both were nominated for Oscars for their performances. Sheridan (known for his Irish dramas like “The Boxer” and “My Left Foot”) manages to portray equal love for both Ireland and America in this film.

Road to Perdition
1930s era Irish gangsters in Chicago picture stars Tom Hanks as hitman Michael Sullivan and Paul Newman as the boss, Rooney. While time has proven the film to be about average, it still boasts fine cinematography and a very moody Irish-themed score by Thomas Newman.

Far and Away
Big, romantic epic from Ron Howard follows destitute Irish folk Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman whisk away from their homeland to try to start a new life in Oklahoma in the late 19th century.

The Quiet Man
Classic 1952 John Ford comedy-drama with John Wayne as ex-boxer living in America who returns to his home in Inisfree, Ireland. This movie does more to perpetuate the romantic notion of Ireland (green rolling hills, red-headed, fair-skinned lasses, and plenty of raucous celebrations) than any other film. Director Ford (born John Martin Feeney) won his 4th Oscar for directing this picture.