Céad Mile Fáilte! March 17th will soon be here, so don your finest green apparel, and dig into The Best St. Patrick's Day recipes.
☘️ SLÁINTE! (Pronounced shlan-sha.) That means CHEERS! It's never too early to start thinking about the best St. Patrick's Day recipes to make to celebrate the holiday.
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Why do people celebrate St. Patrick's Day?
In Ireland centuries ago, St. Patrick's Day was once a more serious day of prayer and feasts when the church honored the country's male patron saint.
(Did you know there's a female patron saint of Ireland, too? St. Brigid's Day is celebrated every February 1st: read more about St. Brigid's Day here. There's also a 2023 documentary about St. Brigid, hosted by Derry Girls actress Siobhán McSweeney.)
Celebrations arrived in America in the days of the colonies, but grew exponentially as Irish people immigrated to the States in the nineteenth century to escape poverty and the potato famine.
The celebrations grew through the decades to include not only American-Irish folks, but anyone who wished to join in the fun and merry-making. In fact, according to the History Channel, St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Ireland have evolved to mirror the festivities and even the food of an American-style holiday.
What do people eat on St. Patrick's Day?
For American-Irish families, corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner, along with raisin-filled soda bread, Irish beer, Irish whiskey, and perhaps a slice of Guinness Stout Chocolate Cake.
In Ireland, corned beef and cabbage is not at all a common dish—a holiday feast in Ireland might include homemade scones, a roast with gravy, brown soda bread, and a full Irish breakfast. And some Irish beer and whiskey, too!
For Americans who aren't Irish but love to celebrate anyway, the day might include any of the above, along with green food, green beer, Baileys Irish Cream drinks, Guinness, and minty, green milkshakes.
Ready for some St. Patrick's Day recipes?
Whether you want to make a hearty menu with Guinness Pot Roast, something traditional like Irish Soda Bread, or a dessert that's green and full of charming marshmallows — there's a fun and tasty recipe here for you!
Here are my best St. Patrick's Day recipes. There are some inspired by traditional Irish dishes, some American-Irish food, and some that are just for fun. All are perfect to celebrate St. Paddy's Day!
St. Patrick's Day Dessert Recipes
St. Patrick's Day Dinner And Lunch Recipes
Riley/Reilly clan
My Irish provenance on my mother's side is the family name Riley (it used to be Reilly.) The Riley/Reilly clan crest is below. We recently learned, through a DNA sample and Ancestry.com, that there's a fair amount of Irish on our father's side, too!
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