According to Irish lore, St. Patrick drove snakes out of Ireland in the fourth century. Though serpents are not an issue as we approach his feast day, Covid-19 remains a threat. As with Mardi Gras, this year’s St. Patrick’s Day in New Orleans will be “different.” Here are a few ways to mark the holiday while staying safe from the contagion.
Irish-American Crossroads Festival on Zoom
A scholar and a musician will lead an online discussion about New Orleans’ Irish heritage on Sunday March 14, at 1 p.m. as part of a virtual Irish-American Crossroads Festival, a literary, musical, and cultural event that takes place every year in the San Francisco Bay Area. Eamonn Flynn, a keyboardist, singer and songwriter who played for ten years with legendary New Orleans drummer Zigaboo Modeliste, will join Dr. Laura Kelley, a Tulane professor and author of The Irish in New Orleans, to discuss various waves of immigration from Ireland to the Crescent City, the second biggest port of entry in America by the 1840s. As New Orleans reached the mid-19th century, 25 percent of the city’s population was born in Ireland. The two look at how Irish culture influenced New Orleans in terms of language, neighborhoods, food, sport, music, dance, religion, politics, race, rituals around death, and parades. Register and log in to the Zoom session here.
Shamrock Our Block House Floats
Inspired by the Krewe of House Floats craze that filled the void of a paradeless Carnival season, homeowners across the metro area have decked out their porches with leprechauns, cloverleaf, rainbows and other lucky charms as part of a Shamrock Our Block campaign in partnership with a similar effort in Chicago. View a map of the homes and plan your driving, biking or walking tour:
Wreath laying at Celtic Cross Monument
The Louisiana Ancient Order of Hibernians will gather at the Celtic Cross Monument in Hibernian Memorial Park at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 17. The brief commemoration of Irish history and culture in the city will include a wreath laying and blessing on the filled-in site of the New Basin Canal, an annual St. Patrick’s Day tradition observed by members of the AOH.
The Celtic Cross Monument is located at the heart of a four-acre Irish heritage park being developed by the Louisiana Hibernian Charity, with support from the Government of Ireland, Emigrant Support Programme. The seven-foot monument carved in Ireland of Kilkenny granite was dedicated in 1990 to honor the Irish laborers who built the New Basin Canal, a 19th-century transportation corridor linking New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. The monument sits on the neutral ground between West End and Pontchartrain boulevards.
Mass at St. Patrick’s Church in New Orleans to be streamed live online
At 12:30 pm on Wednesday, March 17, St. Patrick’s Church will livestream the annual Ancient Order of Hibernians St. Patrick’s Day Mass. This year the mass is in honor of Hibernian of the Year B. J. Eckholdt, Jr. To view the mass online, visit the church’s website.
Special St. Patrick’s Day programming on WYES
WYES-TV, Channel 12, will broadcast two programs to mark St. Patrick’s Day. At 7 pm, it will air Irish New Orleans, a classic documentary that traces the history of the Irish from their arrival in the city in the 18th century and examines the influence of the immigrants on the fabric of the city. At 8 pm watch the premiere of Ireland in Music, a visually stunning program that transforms all of Ireland into a stage as big-name acts including Clannad, Hothouse Flowers, Tolu Makay and Denise Chalia perform in the most beautiful places on the island. This hour-long musical journey is a pride filled tour of Ireland in the company of the nation’s finest performers.
Greening of the Superdome
To demonstrate the strong and enduring ties between Ireland and the Crescent City, the New Orleans Superdome will go green for St. Patrick’s Day. The lighting is part of a global celebration of Ireland’s national day with the green illumination of prominent buildings and landmarks across the world.
Free green beer for a charitable cause
For the second year in a row, the Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day parade has been canceled but the club who annually organize this frenzy of float riders tossing cabbages and kilted lads trading paper carnations for a kiss have come up with a new way to celebrate while also supporting a charitable cause. Visit Parasol’s Bar & Restaurant or The Holy Ground Irish Pub through the end of March for FREE green beer in exchange for a charitable donation to St. Michael Special School. On Wednesday, March 17, from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. the club is asking those who might have otherwise attended the parade to participate in a drive-through style event where guests are asked to provide a cash or credit card donation to the school, located at 1522 Chippewa Street, in exchange for a free gift from the children of the school.
