An empty Concert Square on St. Patrick’s Day is unheard of; usually the whole of Liverpool are out in force to enjoy the festivities on the 17th March. Unfortunately, we can’t all head to McCooley’s for some cheesy tunes and an unhealthy amount of shots. However, we can bring McCooley’s to us! Cue Galway Girl.

But before you down a Guinness here’s a bit of history about the day…

Why Do We Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

The day commemorates the death of the patron saint of Ireland (who wasn’t actually Irish!). Saint Patrick was born around 387 AD in Roman Britain, at the age of sixteen he was kidnapped and then brought to Ireland where he was enslaved for six years. After finally escaping and returning to his family in Ireland he decided he would return one day as he had grown to love the Irish spirit. Upon his return he was credited with bringing the notion of Christianity to parts of Ireland, serving as a bishop.

For centuries St. Patrick’s Day has marked a celebration of Irish culture and heritage all over the world.

The Best Ways to Celebrate

An Irish Bar Crawl (lockdown style)

I’m sure we have all seen the Tik Tok trend of turning your uni house/flat into a bar crawl and what better time to do it than on St. Paddy’s Day? You could change each room into a different Irish Bar in Liverpool. Get creative with decorations, drinks and outfits.

Here’s just a few of the Irish bars and pubs in Liverpool to give you some inspiration:

• O’Neills – Hanover Street
• Shenanigans – Tithebarn Street
• Flanagan’s Apple – Matthew Street
• McCooley’s – Concernt Square
• The Celtic Corner – Ranelagh Street

Why not play some of these St. Patrick’s Day themed drinking games to kick off the bar crawl.

St. Patrick’s Cocktails

Another alcohol related activity (shock!) is making themed cocktails to celebrate the day.

For the recipe for an ‘Irish Mule’ consisting of Irish whiskey, ginger beer and lime juice click here.

Why not try an ‘Irish Sour Apple Cocktail’? Learn how to make this vodka and whiskey based cocktail here.

For an ameretto based cocktail try the ‘Irish Pride’ drink here.

No St. Patrick’s Day would be complete without a Baileys or two. For a delicious ‘Baileys Mint Martini’ click here.

Mocktails

You can still party the night away with these fabulous non-alcoholic options.

If you’d like to indulge in a Baileys without suffering the hangover the next day, give the ‘Virgin Baileys’ a try here.

Or maybe you like the look of the traditional ‘Irish Rose’ mocktail version here.

A Virtual St. Patrick’s Day

Tourism Ireland’s Virtual St Patrick’s Day Party

We have practically lived the past year on Zoom, so a virtual St. Patrick’s Day is no surprise. Tourism Ireland are holding ‘the big St. Patrick’s Day party’ at 5:30pm on Wednesday 17th March featuring entertainment from the likes of the Celtic Drummers and Shamrock Tenors. You can watch this event live via Facebook or Youtube. If you’re interested in immersing yourself in the Irish culture with special guests, Irish dancing and much more then simply follow this link. Whip up one of the fabulous cocktails or mocktails and set up your laptop for some fantastic St. Patrick’s Day celebrations!

Zoom Quiz

If you’re desperately missing friends and family, why not host a St. Patrick’s Day quiz over Zoom? I may have lost your interest when you read ‘Zoom quiz’ BUT with a mixture of good company and a few cocktails/mocktails to get the evening going you’re sure to have somewhat of a bearable experience.

Here’s some themed quiz questions to kick your quiz off.

Hold A St. Paddy’s Feast

Looking for something to line your stomach before the copious amounts of cocktails? Try some classic Irish dishes this St. Paddy’s Day:

Irish Bangers and Colcannon

I’m sure most of us have tried the English classic of bangers and mash, but have you tried the Irish dish bangers and colcannon?

The dish consists of Irish sausages and mashed potato with cabbage. You could also add bacon or ham to the mashed potato. Obviously, you could adapt the dish by substituting meat sausages for vegan or vegetarian sausages. This could also be a good hearty comfort food for a hangover cure on the Thursday!

Find the full recipe here.

Fancy something sweet?

Guinness chocolate puddings are the perfect way to finish off an Irish cuisine (and start off prinks!). This rich, boozey dessert looks absolutely fantastic. Still hungry after your bangers and colcannon? Find the full recipe for Guinness chocolate puddings here.

A Final Comment

LGSM hope you have a fantastic St Patrick’s Day. Fingers crossed we will all be back boogying in Concert Square next St. Patrick’s Day!

To find out the best food and drinks that Liverpool has to offer, and tasty recipes, check out some of our other articles!

Feature Image Credit: Unsplash