By Leslie Weinberg & Amy Strauss
Even if you can’t speed over to Ireland to share the traditions of St. Patrick’s Day, skip the fretting – Chester County’s lineup offers enough music, dance and corned beef and cabbage to fulfill your Celtic quota for this month.
So, grab your green gear (Abbey Green Irish Shop of 1036 Wilmington Pike, West Chester, offers a never-ending supply) and hit the area’s best bars and restaurants.
West Chester:
Head over to the West Chester Golf and Country Club (111 W. Ashbridge St.) on March 19, at 7 p.m. for a swinging time to raise money for a great cause – the Chester County Hospital and Health System. Tickets are $40 per person and include an evening of live music by The Highballs, a dinner buffet, beer and door prizes. There will be a silent action that includes vacation in Ireland, a gourmet dinner in your home, a Faunbrook B&B overnight stay and more. For more information, call 610-431-5329 or visit www.cchosp.com.
Blarney Stone
1227 West Chester Pike, West Chester, 610-436-5222
The Blarney Stone is one of the older Irish pubs in Chester County, so you know their holiday celebration will not disappoint. The pub will be expanding their Irish menu and hosting many drink specials. Their main event, Irish step dancers, will begin Thursday afternoon around 3 p.m., and for the rest of the day and night, there will be a DJ on hand helping you dance the night away. Activities begin at 11 a.m. and should continue until closing time at 2 a.m.
Doc Magrogan’s
117 E. Gay St., West Chester, 610-429-4046
Sample traditional Irish fare during lunch and dinner while listening to the sounds of bagpipers throughout the day. Sip on a $4 perfect pint of Guinness and stay for the acoustic sounds of Jamie Tillman from 5 to 7 p.m.
Iron Hill Brewery
3 W. Gay St., West Chester, 610-738-9600
Iron Hill will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Week this year, and they’re kickin’ it off with “Invasion of the Irish” on March 11th from 5 to 8 p.m. A firkin of traditional cask style will be tapped at 6 p.m., and Irish Dry Stout will also be available. Delicious Irish dishes and live music will accompany Iron Hill’s out-of-this-world beer.
Kildare’s Irish Pub
18 W Gay St., West Chester, 610-431-0770
St. Patrick’s Day is not a one-day event at Kildare’s, but a celebration throughout the year. Throughout March, enjoy their St. Patrick’s Day menu filled with Irish specialty items like corned beef and cabbage, whiskey-dipped chicken fingers, Bailey’s cheesecake and more.
Don’t miss the Irish brunch with live Celtic music on Sunday the 13th. Kildare’s will be opening at 7 a.m. on the 17th with lots of activities throughout the day, including $10 Irish breakfast, WMMR and Malarkey Brothers live at noon, dancers and pipers slated to perform throughout the day, and great drink specials including layered pints. Jamison, named “the best Irish band in America,” takes the stage at 10 p.m.
Celebrate in style with an exclusive VIP pass for $20 that gets you access to all the Kildare’s from the 11th to the 17th with no cover, a free pint on St. Patrick’s Day, a T-shirt, free breakfast on St. Patrick’s Day and a pot of gold (maybe that last one isn’t fully guaranteed).
Ryan’s Pub
124 W. Gay St., West Chester, 610-344-3934
Break out your greenest outfit to step the night away to the Celtic Connection and enjoy fantastic fare and drink specials on March 12. On the 17th, put a little Irish in you with great drink and food specials. The back bar will be open, the hottest DJ in town will be spinning, and the taps will be flowing with Irish spirit.
10 East Gay Street, West Chester, 610-429-8297
Considering that last year’s first-ever St. Patty’s celebration at Side Bar was a roaring success, this year’s festivities will follow similar suits. Doors will open around 9:30 a.m. with no cover or increase on drink prices, and a 12-piece Irish Band will be rolling through playing some Irish jams between noon and 2 p.m. A mouthwatering Irish-styled lunch and dinner menu will be served all day and a firkin of Sly Fox O’Reilly Stout will be tapped on the bar around 1 p.m. McSorleys Pale Ale, Slyfox Seamus Red and Rouge Irish Lager will also be on tap. Find DJ Tommy C live all night and be sure to score $3 Bud Light 16-ounce shamrocks!
Second Annual West Chester Celtic Crawl
Channel your inner Irish spirit for the ultimate bar crawl on March 12 from 3 to 9 p.m., presented by West Chester Sport & Social Club and dubC Bar Stool. Tickets are $20 ($25 the day of) and include a commemorative T-shirt, drink specials, raffle tickets, and a surprise or two along the way. For more information, contact: Tim Horan at [email protected] or 484-919-9547
The stellar lineup includes:
Barnaby’s – 3 to 5 p.m.
Ram’s Head Bar & Grill – 5 to 6 p.m.
Landmark Americana – 6 to 7 p.m.
Ryan’s Pub – 7 to 8 p.m.
Kildare’s Irish Pub – 8 to 9 p.m.
Phoenixville and Beyond:
Pre-St. Patty’s Day Pub Crawl
Who said you had to wait until St. Patrick’s Day to throw on your “Kiss Me I’m Irish” T- shirt and celebrate the holiday? Head over to Phoenixville for their pre-holiday pub crawl taking place on March 12 from noon until 6 pm. All stops will celebrate the Irish, with each spot offering beer specials and selections. Bistro on Bridge (212 Bridge St.) will offer Heavy Seas, Rogue and green beer; The Columbia (148 Bridge St.) will have Yards and Flying Fish selections; Iron Hill Brewery (130 Bridge St.) will participate with their own microbrewed beers; Molly Maguire’s (195 Bridge St.) will sling Sierra Nevada and Guinness; PJ Ryan’s Pub (231 Bridge St.) will offer Foster’s beer; Franco Ristorante (226 Bridge St.) will stock brews from Victory Brewery Company; and The Pickering Creek Inn (37 Bridge St.) will offer Dogfish Head, Ballast Point, Southern Tier and North Coast.
Hair of the Dog 5K
Get your butt in gear on the Saturday morning after St. Patrick’s Day, March 19, and join in for the tame Hair of the Dog 5K in Reeves Park of Phoenixville. Beginning at 11:30 a.m., eliminate the guilt and shame of whatever it was that did to yourself on March 17 as you embrace a calm 5K run. Following the exercise session, participate in a guilt-free, unguided Hair of the Dog Pub Crawl jumpstarting at Sly Fox Brewhouse (520 Kimberton Road) and progressing to Pickering Creek Inn, Molly Maguire’s, PJ Ryans and Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant. Costumes are encouraged.
Chaplin’s Music Cafe
66 N. Main St., Spring City, 610-792-4110
Head over to Chaplin’s Music Cafe for the 2nd Annual Irish Hooley on March 11 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open one hour prior to Irish-themed show, and the cafe will prepare a special menu of traditional fare. Tickets are $15 a person. Find more details at www.chaplinsmusiccafe.com.
Downingtown Country Club
93 Country Club Drive , Downingtown, 610-873-0800
On March 18th from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., rock out to the live sounds of members of the John Hoey Orchestra covering old time rock-n-roll from Irish rock star Van Morrison and other St. Patrick’s Day classics. Visit www.golfdowningtown.com to see the traditional Irish feast for the evening. Call 610-873-0800 for reservations.
Molly Maguire’s Irish Bar
197 Bridge St., Phoenixville, 610-933-9550
Downtown’s go-to Irish bar, Molly Maguire’s, will host a day-long celebration on March 17, boasting tons of festivities to strike your fancy. Join the Bridge Street bar and restaurant as early as 10 a.m. for live music, drinks, appropriate fare and much more. Celtic Spirit will perform at 10 a.m., The Why O’s hit the stage at 5 p.m., and Midnight
Special performs into the night, beginning at 10 p.m. Visit www.mollymaguirespubs.com.
Nectar
1091 Lancaster Ave., Berwyn, 610.725.9000
Inspired by his Irish heritage, chef Patrick Feury has put a decidedly modern spin on some traditional Irish dishes to be featured on his St. Patrick’s Day menu at his usually Asian-inspired Nectar Restaurant in Berwyn. The a la carte menu will be available from March 11 through 17, in addition to the restaurant’s regular fare. The menu boasts items
like North Atlantic Fish Stew, Scallops with Soda Bread, Corned Goose, Pecan Bread Pudding and Jamison Caramel Ice Cream.
Sly Fox Brewhouse & Restaurant
520 Kimberton Rd., Phoenixville, 610-935-4540
312 N. Lewis Rd., Royersford, 610-948-8088
After a 10-week St. Patty’s Day Boot Camp, many beer-loving locals are prepared for Sly Fox’s full-blown St. Patrick’s Day parties, held at both the Phoenixville and Royersford locations. During the local microbrew shindig, a drawing will be held to determine which lucky participant of the recent boot camp will win a free trip to Ireland.
