As you can
tell by his frequent posts on
the subject, Neil is much better versed than I am on everything Irish. He lived there for goodness sake. Myself,
I’ve just been there once, traveling from Northern Ireland to Dublin on the train, and then spending St. Patrick’s Day
in Dublin proper. Now you might think that Dublin would be the ideal place to celebrate St. Patty’s, but when I was
there, Dubliners explained to me that it’s really NOT that big a deal in Ireland, that it is mostly an American
holiday. Well, that may be true…and if it is, then you can bet the epicenter of celebration for St. Patrick’s Day
would be New York City. I have lived here for almost seven years now, and have done my share of St. Patty’s. So let me
clue you in on the best places in the city to go. Here are the top three I recommend:
First of all, head to
the Upper East Side. The UES has the largest concentration of Irish pubs this side of the Atlantic. One of my favorites
is Ryan’s Daughter on East 85th Street and First Avenue.
Then move on to Hooligans Tavern at Second Avenue between 93rd and 94th Streets. This is a loud, but cozy pub where the
Guinness flows like water and the food is greasy, but good. And finally, hop in a cab and head down to McSorley’s Ale House, ye oldest Irish pub
in operation in the city, some one-hundred forty-seven years. They brew their own beer, light and dark, and have
excellent pub food.
So there you have it. Three great Irish pubs on your favorite Irish holiday.