Irish for a day
St. Patrick’s Day / St. Patrick’s Day is swathed in exaggerations and misconceptions. It is all too easy to get swept up in the mayhem of celebration and forget details, like, that the man was really a British missionary, and there were never any snakes in Ireland. The holiday’s current connection to its traditionally pious roots is as debatable as the Irish heritage of many of those who go all out to celebrate it each year.
Not that we mean to get too serious; for sure you couldn’t care less about the details when really, March 17 is just an excuse to go out, get plastered and wear a funny hat. And you will have plenty of opportunities to do so. So take your pick from the artificially colored buffet of events going on in Honolulu and take pride in your connection to the Emerald Isle–however tenuous it may be.
Celtic Waves plays traditional Irish music and must be aiming for some kind of green medal this Wednesday as the group is playing three different venues throughout the day. It starts at Kelley O’ Neil’s at 1pm and wraps up at ARTS at Marks for a final jig at 9pm.
You get to hear live Irish music at the holy trinity of Honolulu’s Irish pubs–that’s Kelley’s, O’Toole’s and the Irish Rose–which are all hosting several bands throughout the night. There’s even more Irish music from the Lisa Gomes and Kevin Reese Duo at the Aloha Tower Marketplace from 5pm, as well as performances from Dancers Unlimited and a delicious menu of corned beef, cabbage and various other foods that have been dyed green.
Murphy’s Bar and Grill’s dining options might sound a little more tempting, with an outdoor Guinness fresh oyster bar to accompany its block party that begins at 6 pm.
But let’s get down to drinking, and what better way to pay your respects to the ancient Christian missionary than by getting hammered on a booze cruise? On the Navatek I, you can indulge in the ubiquitous green beer and a mysterious “Green Flash” beverage while cruising along the east Oahu and Waikiki shoreline as the sun goes down. The boat leaves from Pier 6 at 5:30pm.
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