They say everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but what about Sept. 17?

Downtown Bangor’s three Irish pubs – the Whig & Courier, Cristor’s and Paddy Murphy’s – have planned a “halfway to St. Paddy’s Day” for Monday night.

“It’s kind of a traditional thing people do in cities where there are a lot of Irish pubs,” Cristor’s owner, Paul Noonan, explained.

Since Bangor has more Irish pubs per capita than most – if not all – cities in Maine, Noonan decided to break out the green beer early. Cristor’s will also feature live music by Sister Sadie. At press time, Paddy Murphy’s and the Whig & Courier hadn’t announced their plans, but one thing’s for sure: On Monday, Irish eyes will be smiling. Or half-smiling, anyway.