St. Patrick’s Day is inevitably a mess. The bars, especially the Irish bars, are overrun with regulars and tourists, regular drinkers and people who have chosen that day as one of their five days a year to go out for a pint. Of all the thousands upon thousands of people going out, a fraction will have a few too many Guinnesses, and their sloppiness will spiral exponentially upward through the night until the only people left in the bars are so out of it they think they actually is in Ireland. This St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday, so the potential for mayhem is even greater than usual.
But that chaos is probably what you want out of your St. Patrick’s Day night. If you want to celebrate Irish heritage soberly, in daylight, the Irish Festival at Seattle Center has a wide variety of events to choose from. This list here assumes you want to go out drinking, or at least don’t mind being elbow-to-elbow with people who are drinking. While many bars have St. Patrick’s Day specials (and all bars have Irish whiskey and beer), here’s what some of the most notable Irish bars in Seattle are doing:
Kell’s Irish Restaurant and Bar
One of Seattle’s largest and most tourist-friendly Irish bars, this Pike Place Market standout puts on an entire St. Patricks festival every year. On the day itself, Kells opens at 10.00, and from At 12.00 there will be music – both Celtic rock and traditional Irish music, which we mean a U2 cover band. (Admission is $20.) This is likely to be one of the busiest events in town, so get there early if you plan to try to sit and eat.
Shawn O’Donnell’s Irish Pub and American Grill
This mini-chain has St. Patricks events at all of its Seattle-area locations (Everett, Fremont, and at the bottom of the Smith Tower), all without cover. There will be Irish music – mostly of the pipe-and-drum variety – Guinness giveaways, and even a chance to meet the Mariner Moose at Smith Tower from 6pm. 12pm to 2pm (Is the moose Irish? We always thought he was Canadian, somehow.) More information and a full schedule of events can be found on Shawn O’Donnell’s website.
TS McHugh’s
Located in Lower Queen Anne, a stone’s throw from the Space Needle, this venerable pub is going to be a madhouse on Friday. The afternoon will feature a bagpiper and at 2:00 p.m. Mercer Street will be closed while Irish band Seattle Fire Department performs. There is no cover (and it is all ages) before 18. The bad news for anyone trying to drive down here is that the Carrie Underwood concert at the nearby Climate Pledge Arena is going to bring this area to a standstill. But why would you try to drive on St. Patrick’s Day anyway?
Mulleady’s Irish Pub
Okay, confession time: We’re not quite sure what the food and drink offerings are going to be at this Magnolia-area location. But even their regular menu (with Irish staples like sausage rolls, soda bread and colcannon) is reason enough to head away from the touristy parts of town.
Murphy’s Pub
This Wallingford institution is a great choice for anyone looking to start their day off early. It is open for breakfast at 9.00 and the music starts at 12.00. There will be bands or dancers performing from then until 1:30 a.m., and there’s a $10 cover.
Conor Byrne
This Ballard bar routinely has music, but it stops for St. Patrick’s Day with an entire mini music festival starting at 12:30 with some Irish dancing. Traditional Irish music gives way to rockier stuff, and it all ends with live U2 covers from 11.30pm until anytime.
Ballard Breweries
These aren’t technically Irish bars, but they’re a great option for Seattleites who like to stay local. Notable brewery events include Reuben’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration, with corned beef and cabbage on the menu and live music at 6pm Down the street at Stoup Brewing, there will be a pipe and drum band at 15.30 and normal IPA. -centric brewery will release a stout.
