St. Paddy’s Day: Facts & Local Fun
St. Paddy’s Day: Facts & Local Fun
Erin Go Bragh: A Little Past History, Fun Facts & Local Spots to Hit Up March 17th
A look at Madigan’s renowned corned beef dinner special
On St. Paddy’s Day, everyone is Irish, including the venerated St. Patrick who is celebrated worldwide on this day. (Surprising fact: St. Patrick was not Irish!) Here’s the lowdown on this patron of Ireland…
He was born in Britain in the fourth century. His folk were wealthy. In those days, every country was raiding other countries, stealing goods, and abducting children. He got caught in the fracas and was snatched at age 16 by Irish raiders. The young lad was enslaved and forced to work as a shepherd.
Now, being a shepherd is a cold, lonely and rough life. Likely to keep himself sane, he turned to religion and became a devout Christian. In his later writings he claims that he had visions, and after six years, he heard God’s voice in a dream telling him to leave Ireland. There are skeptics to his story but in his own writings he related how he walked almost 200 miles to the Irish coast (distance from Ellicottville to Syracuse, NY or London, Ontario) and then somehow got on a ship and escaped to Britain. He went home only to be visited by an angel in a dream telling him to return to Ireland as a missionary. The poor guy didn’t know if he was on foot or horseback, but he listened to the angels and over the course of many years, he studied and became ordained as a Catholic priest. The Church then sent him back to Ireland.
Some say he introduced Christianity to Ireland, while others say he ministered to those Christians who had already been converted by others. No matter. The Irish people loved Patrick. The day we celebrate as his honored day is not his birthday but the day he allegedly died in his beloved Ireland, around 460 A.D.
We have this image of the Irish being impish and jolly - filled with good humor and laughter. Sadly, the Irish history is a hard one on many counts, especially during the famine years 1845-1851, when nearly a million of those Catholic descendants of St. Patrick’s days arrived in America - unwelcomed. They were maligned because of their religion and treated poorly.
One such refugee was Peggy Doyle Olcott who landed in Buffalo’s rough-and-tumble Canal District. Indeed, lads and lassies, today’s Canal District was not for the faint-o-heart in those old days. Peggy ran a saloon, while her son, Chauncey Olcott, worked on the waterfront. But, ah, the lad had a voice of the angels and was determined to get out of the squalor and bring a bit of redemption for the Irish by using it.
“In a 1909 interview, Olcott explained his life’s mission in the arts as ‘trying to help the world along with the genius of Ireland.’ Olcott played an important role in changing the image of the stage Irishman.” (wnyheritage.org Chauncey Olcott: Buffalo's Golden-Tongued Tenor). Olcott wrote the classics, When Irish Eyes are Smiling, and My Wild Irish Rose, putting an Irishman and Buffalo on the map.
FUN FACTS ABOUT ST. PAT’S
By Jessica Schultz
We’ve all heard the stories about St. Pat. The luck of the Irish, the pot o’ gold, the legend of the leprechauns… But what about some real facts of the Patron Saint of Ireland and the holiday he’s come to represent?
FUN FACT: St. Patrick actually wore blue and not green. Check out the surviving artworks of the man - he’s always rocking blue robes. Actually at the time, green was thought to be an unlucky color. As time progressed, green became the national color, so that’s why you wear green now. (Also, “Saint” Patrick was never actually officially named as such but his contributions to the Catholic Church have granted him spiritual figure status despite that.)
FUN FACT: Why do we never hear about female leprechauns? Because there is no record of them. Leprechauns are actually thought to be rejected fairies that have grouchy personalities and are prone to mischief. (Elf on the Shelf, take a seat!)
FUN FACT: St. Paddy’s falls in the period of Lent. But no worries, the church actually lifts the ban of no meat on this particular day of celebration. So eat, drink and be merry. (Wait… wrong holiday, sort of.)
FUN FACT: Contrary to popular belief, St. Pat’s is not the most popular drinking day in America. It’s actually the fourth. It was behind New Year’s Eve, Christmas and the Fourth of July. (Hmmm… do you think we drink a lot?)
FUN ACTIVITIES: Alternatively to drinking, there are a lot of other ways to celebrate. Think food and fun… Bake soda bread, serve an Irish meal (corned beef and cabbage, Guinness stew, Shepard’s pie, colcannon (mashed potatoes and cabbage mixed together), etc. Whip up a shamrock shake (or go to Katy’s Cafe or Ellicottville Coffee Co. for their version of minty goodness), listen to some Irish music, search for lucky four leaf clovers, or sip an Irish whiskey. (Full circle back to the alcohol again.)
LOCAL FUN: Madigan’s is our locally famous, family-run Irish bar (aka The Green Bar), and on St. Patrick’s Day they are the place to be. They are legendary for their amazing corned beef and cabbage special. Get yourself a Guinness and you’ll be laughing, as they say.
Finnerty’s Tap Room (FTR EVL) is the #BillsMafia headquarters in EVL and they’re always good for a St. Patrick’s Day evening out. Opening early at 12:30pm with live Irish music from 2:00-5:00pm, live bagpipes from 5:00-7:00pm and rounding out the fun is Brian Ash from 7:00-9:00pm. Stop in and grab yourself a shot of Dr McGillicuddy’s and one of their nightly specials.
12 Gates of EVL puts a lot of pride into their New York Deli style sandwiches. Pull up a stool and opt for a corned beef on rye or a traditional reuben to highlight the holiday. Enjoy a pint while you’re there!
The end of Holibreak at HoliMont Resort is bittersweet on St. Paddy’s Day (that’s still the 17th for anyone who forgot) but they are going out with a Live Irish Band from 4:00-7:00pm. Shred the slopes and then listen to some festive tunes.
The fun doesn’t end on Friday. You can celebrate all weekend, because the annual Rail Rider Jamboree will be on fire this Saturday at Holiday Valley. The Grateful Dead tribute band, Dark Star Orchestra, is headlining this year’s music festival. There are so many other great musicians on the bill; get your tickets at railriderjam.com.
Food and drinks are the heart and soul of St. Patrick’s Day and Ellicottville businesses are always ready to rock the weekend once you’re off the slopes. So don your best green and live it up this weekend. We’re all a little Irish on St. Paddy’s Day!