Irish food, song await St. Paddy revelers

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There’s a lot more to St. Patrick’s Day than green beer and corned beef and cabbage. Take St. Patrick himself. The snake-banishing patron saint of Ireland wasn’t even Irish. He was either English or Welsh, possibly of Roman ancestry. And while most people associate corned beef and cabbage with the holiday, it’s more of a tradition here than in Ireland.

In the United States, many pubs have parties, Irish meals and the ubiquitous green ale. In Ireland, it’s more of the same, except for the green ale.

“Everything closes but the pubs,” said Denis O’Dwyer of Limerick, Ireland, who visited Bangor last week. “Wetting the shamrock – that’s the excuse.”

His wife, Anne, agreed.

“It’s a very special day,” she said. “It has a very patriotic feeling. … It’s very important to us, the only national holiday, really. The whole of Ireland closes down.”

While it’s not exactly on par with the Fourth of July here, St. Patrick’s Day still is a reason to celebrate. The following is a list of festivities at pubs and restaurants in the area:

Saints & Spirits Irish Festival

The celebration starts Friday and runs through Sunday in Camden, Lincolnville and Rockport. For information, or a complete listing of events, call 236-4404.

Killarney’s restaurant

Holiday Inn, 500 Main St., Bangor

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a luncheon buffet of corned beef and cabbage and other traditional Irish specialties. The dinner buffet runs from 5 to 9 p.m. and will be accompanied by live music by Jerry Hughes & Late Edition.

The Whig & Courier restaurant and pub

West Market Square, Bangor

The restaurant opens at 11 a.m. for lunch and will serve traditional Irish specials all day, including corned beef and cabbage. A bagpiper will play several times during the day and John Tercyak will play fiddle and guitar starting at 4 p.m. Promotional giveaways will take place throughout the evening. The event will celebrate the Whig’s 17th anniversary.

Whale’s Tooth Pub and Restaurant

U.S. Route 1, Lincolnville

“Fingers Frank” will perform Irish singalongs on the piano from 5 to 10 p.m. Corned beef and cabbage will be served.

Belfast Bay Brewpub and Restaurant

100 Searsport Ave., Route 1

Irish background music, corned beef and cabbage and green beer will be served. Promotional giveaways will take place throughout the night.

WaterWorks Restaurant and Pub

5 Lindsey St., Rockland

A bagpipe and drum band will perform throughout the evening, along with area musicians who will perform Irish and Scottish ballads and songs. T-shirts, hats and glasses will be given away throughout the evening. A variety of Irish dishes will be served, including shepherd’s pie with lamb, a lamb dinner, Irish stew with lamb, Irish sausages in puff pastry with hot mustard, corned beef and cabbage with mustard sauce and bangers and mash. Susan Barnes, the owner, says, “We’ll be here until [only] the last piper’s standing.” The event will celebrate the restaurant’s sixth anniversary.

Gritty McDuff’s Restaurant and Pub

396 Fore St., Portland

The festivities will begin at 9 a.m. The brew pub will serve its Black Fly stout, along with a menu of traditional Irish pub fare, including bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie, scotch eggs and corned beef and cabbage. A band will perform in the evening.

Brian Boru Public House and Restaurant

57 Center St., Portland

Opens at 6 a.m. for an Irish breakfast of scotch eggs, blood pudding, mixed grill with tomatoes. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the menu will include corned beef and cabbage, Reuben sandwiches, Irish stew with lamb, an Irish stew with beef, and Guinness and Irish soda bread. Irish beer will be available, including Guinness and Harp. In the evening, a traditional Irish band.

Rikish Paddy, will perform on traditional instruments.