St Patricks Day Party ... March 17th 2009

Here's just a wee taste of the shirts available at:
Irish Gifts & Merchandise - The Premier web site for Irish
Gifts, Jewelry and other items.

Take your time and explore the site ... there are lots of Irish treasures!

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Irish to the Bone T-Shirt




Jameson Green Signature T-Shirt




Authentic Game Weight Ireland Rugby Shirt




Personalized Polo Shirt




Men's Guinness 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark' T-Shirt




Men's Exclusively Ours 'Grateful Dead' Shamrock and Roses Shirt - Short Sleeve




Personalized Name & Coat of Arms T-Shirt - White

Choose a light colored Irish beer such as Harp or an Irish Amber (dark ales end up looking a bit funky)

Add 3 or 4 drops of green food coloring to the bottom of a chilled beer glass.

Slowly pour the beer into the glass and decide if you are satisfied with the color ... you can add more food coloring at this point but you'll need to stir it which may destroy the head.


St. Patrick's Inflatable Beer Mug Cooler

St. Patrick's Inflatable Beer Mug Cooler

"St. Patrick's Inflatable Beer Mug Cooler is a must-have for your St. Patrick's Day Party. Cooler is made of green vinyl with ""Happy St. Patrick's Day"" and a shamrock printed on it. Mug Cooler measures approximately 25"" high x 19"" wide. Just inflate, then add ice and drinks (not included). Caution: This inflatable item is not a flotation device. Not recommended for children under 3 years."

Once you've made one or two you'll learn the right amount of food coloring to get your desired green colored beer

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá 'le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially St. Paddy's Day or Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa 385-461), one of the patron saints of Ireland. It takes place on 17 March, the date on which Patrick is held to have died.

The day is the national holiday of the Irish people. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland, and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Montserrat, and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. In the rest of Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and New Zealand, it is widely celebrated but is not an official holiday.

It became a feast day in the Roman Catholic Church due to the influence of the Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding in the early part of the 17th century, and is a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. The date of the feast is occasionally moved by church authorities due to March 17 falling in Holy Week; this last happened in 1940, when Saint Patrick's Day was observed on 3 April in order to avoid it coinciding with Palm Sunday, and will happen again in 2008, when it shall be held on 15 March to avoid the second day in Holy Week.

One of the key elements for a great St Paddy's Day party is to create a festive party atmosphere. Below you'll find several suggestions to spruce up your party room for the event.



Shamrocks Galore Deluxe Party Kit



St. Patrick's Vest/Bowtie Set



St. Patrick's Inflatable Beer Mug Cooler



St. Patrick's Day Lighted Holographic Window Sculpture



St. Patrick's Giant Banner




St. Patrick's Shamrock Wreath



Shamrock Light Set 8' (10 lights)


There you go, you're well on your way to hosting the best St Patrick's Day party ever!

Here's a small sample of Irish T-shirts, sweatshirts and even some baby garb available ... have a look at all of the shirts at: St. Patrick's Day Gifts

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Pog Mo Thoin Personalized Irish T-shirt


Irish Drinking Team Personalized T-shirt


Shamrocks Sweatshirt

Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide by Irish people and increasingly by many of non-Irish descent (usually in Australia, North America, and Ireland), hence the phrase, "Everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick's Day." Celebrations are generally themed around all things green and Irish; both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green or orange, eating Irish food and/or green foods, imbibing Irish drink (usually Guinness or Weihenstephan), and attending parades.

The St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, Ireland is part of a five-day festival; over 500,000 people attended the 2006 parade. The largest St. Patrick's Day parade is held in New York City and it is watched by over 2 million spectators. The St. Patrick's Day parade was first held in Boston in 1737, organized by the Charitable Irish Society.

New York's celebration began on 17 March 1762 when Irish soldiers in the British army marched through the city. Ireland's cities all hold their own parades and festivals. These cities include Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Derry, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, and Waterford. Parades also take place in other Irish towns and villages.

Leprechauns kickoff weeklong festivities by renaming New London, Wisconsin to New Dublin. Other large parades include those in Savannah, Georgia, New London, Wisconsin (which changes its name to New Dublin the week of St. Patrick's Day); Dallas; Cleveland; Manchester; Birmingham; London; Coatbridge; Montreal (the longest continually running St. Patrick's Day parade, celebrating its 183rd consecutive parade in 2007); Jackson, Mississippi; Boston; Houston; Chicago; Cincinnati; Kansas City; Rolla; Philadelphia; Indianapolis; Pittsburgh; Denver; St. Paul; Sacramento; San Francisco; Scranton; Seattle; Butte; Detroit; Toronto; Vancouver; Syracuse; Newport; Holyoke and throughout much of the Western world. The parade held in Sydney, Australia is recorded as being the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

As well as being a celebration of Irish culture, Saint Patrick's Day is a Christian festival celebrated in the Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland, and some other denominations. The day always falls in the season of Lent. Some bishops will grant an indult, or release, from the Friday no-meat observance when St. Patrick's Day falls on a Friday; this is sometimes colloquially known as a "corned-beef indult". When 17 March falls on a Sunday, church calendars (though rarely secular ones) move Saint Patrick's Day to the following Monday-and when the 17th falls during Holy Week (very rarely), the observance can be moved to the previous week or all the way to April, after Easter.

In many parts of North America, Britain, and Australia expatriate Irish, those of Irish descent, and ever-growing crowds of people with no Irish connections but who may proclaim themselves "Irish for a day" also celebrate St. Patrick's Day, usually by drinking larger amounts of alcoholic beverages (lager dyed green, Irish beer and stout, such as Murphys, Beamish, Smithwicks, Harp or Guinness, or Irish whiskey, Irish cider, Irish coffee, or Baileys Irish Cream) than they normally would, and by wearing green-coloured clothing. The eating of Irish soda bread (which is sold in supermarkets for the occasion, but not sold during the rest of the year except in specialty stores) is also common.[citation needed] Some recent American twists on the holiday, reflecting its growing popularity among the non-Irish, are the making and selling of green bagels and popcorn on and near the day.[citation needed]

2007 marked the first annual St. Patrick's Day parade and festival in the Scottish city of Glasgow Despite Glasgow having a large Irish community, a parade was never thought feasible due to potential sectarian issues.

Here are just a few ideas to "Irish" up your home for St. Patrick's day or year round for that matter. For lots more great suggestions visit: Personalized Irish Gifts

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Failte Irish Personalized Doormat


Irish Pub Personalized Wall Sign


Bannister of Life Irish Wall Canvas

These cute gifts for baby are just a few of many available here: Irish Baby Gifts

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Our Irish Blessing Personalized Picture Frame


Little Irish Princess Personalized Fleece Romper


Kiss Me ?Ty Inc. "Macgilicuddy" Plush Teddy Bear

If you like to plan your St. Paddy's party in advance here's a little advance notice about which day the celebration falls on in the coming years:

Saturday March 15 * 2008
(* Changed by the Roman Catholic Church to avoid conflict with Holy Monday that falls on 3/17. 2008)

Tuesday March 17 2009

Wednesday March 17 2010

Thursday March 17 2011

Saturday March 17 2012

Sunday March 17 2013