Every St. Patrick’s Day millions of people celebrate their Irish ancestry. Patrick was a Scotsman. He is credited with not only converting the island to Christianity, but also ridding it of its snakes. Until recently, March 17th was a holy day in Ireland, many of the pubs were closed and the celebrating was mostly done in the more touristy areas of Dublin. Here in the States however, it has always been a day to celebrate. Almost 20% of our country can trace part of their ancestry to Ireland, and March 17th is the day we pay tribute, and unfortunately for some, over indulge in our Irishness.
No matter how or where you celebrate, I recommend a pint of Guinness and a bowl of lamb or seafood stew as a base line. Also, you’ll want to wear green so as not to upset the little people. Obviously, a green t-shirt is the easiest solution. However, I think one should invest in their St. Patrick’s Day wardrobe – having some good green pieces allows you to celebrate all year long.
I would start with some green shoes. I personally own some green drivers that always get compliments, but I think these green boat shoes from Quoddy in Maine would be a great addition to any wardrobe. They’ll prevent pinching this Saturday and kill it at the pool this summer.
image via Mr. Porter
then these pants from Orvis should be in your wheelhouse.
image via Orvis
That should cover the more low hanging fruit. If you want some real Irish gear, then go no further than Donegal tweed. Magee’s of Donegal, which sits right on the main street through town, has been selling handmade Irish tweed for almost 150 years. Donegal tweed, compared to some of its sister fabrics from Scotland, is generally brighter and more colorful. It still looks like tweed, but instead of the subdued reds and mustards you would fine in Harris tweeds, it is specked with sea foam, lime green, purple, and pink. The fabrics are gorgeous and they’re made in a place where tweed is still made to protect you from the elements of the Atlantic – not just to help you fit in at the coffee house. You can order direct from Magee’s on their website, but I recommend going in person – Northwest Ireland is one of the world’s most beautiful places plus you can get yourself a made to measure tweed jacket (and the Guinness taste pretty good, too).
image via Magee
Finally, next time you need a gift for the Irishman in your life, look to Rory Conner’s handmade knives from County Cork. I first discovered them through Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and they were further romtanticized by Matt and Ted Lee in an article for Travel and Leisure. The knives themselves are works of art and function wonderfully. Here’s one of the cheeseknives available from the guys at Zingerman’s, but they make a full range of kitchen and field knives.
[...] big rig, street party and all-day festivities (did you catch Elliot’s post this week on investing in your St. Pat’s Day wardrobe?). Since I’ll have a baby in tow, I’ll pass…but will be wearing my green and [...]