Avoid the Erin go blahs!
Brooklyn is gearing up for two St. Paddy’s parades on Sunday, March 20, and every Irish pub along the routes in Bay Ridge and Park Slope will be throwing a party. But if you want to celebrate the man who drove snakes from the land of Eire on his special day — or in the days before the parades — we have found plenty of events that will keep Irish eyes smiling.
At Paddy’s on St. Paddy’s
A recently-opened pub with a name appropriate for the day, Paddy’s of Park Slope celebrates its first Saint Patrick’s Day with the local fiddle-and-guitar duo Reel Celtic. The band goes on at 6 pm and plays until 9 pm, giving you plenty of time to sober up for work in the morning!
Paddy’s of Park Slope [273 13th St. between Fifth and Sixth avenues in Park Slope, (718) 369–0831].
Green Hook
Red Hook’s bastion of the Gaelic League, Rocky Sullivan’s, parties on St. Paddy’s with the Lost Tribe of Donegal, a venerable supergroup of New York Irish-American musicians, led by bar co-owner Chris Byrne. And as always, Rocky Sullivan’s will be serving Irish classics like beef and Guinness stew.
Rocky Sullivan’s [34 Van Dyke St. at Dwight Street in Red Hook, (718) 246–8050. www.rocky
Haven on Earth
Sunset Park’s Irish Haven is the spot to celebrate with New York’s Finest and Bravest, many of whom call it their home-away-from-home. On St. Patrick’s Day, the bar will hand out corned beef and cabbage to anyone who buys a pint — preferably a Guinness. The food comes out at 4 pm, but it will not last long. On Friday night, the three-piece band Brooklyn Bards will take the stage at 8 pm with a repertoire of folk tunes and songs of the Irish rebellion. Lost Tribe of Donegal will play after the parade on March 20.
Irish Haven [5721 Fourth Ave. between 58th and 59th streets in Sunset Park. (718) 439–9893].
Little person, big scares
Two Brooklyn screening rooms, Nitehawk Cinema and Syndicated, will screen Gaelic-sploitation horror film “Leprechaun” on the 17th. Nitehawk has a single showing at 9:30 pm, while Syndicated will show the Warwick Davis-starring schlock-fest three times between 6:30 and 10:30 pm, with more screenings on March 18.
Nitehawk Cinema [136 Metropolitan Ave. between Berry Street and Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg. (718) 782–8370, www.niteh
Syndicated [40 Bogart St. between Grattan and Thames streets in Bushwick. (718) 386–3399, www.syndi
Step in time
Irish Music Award-winner Michael Londra and his dance and song troupe will burn up the stage with “Celtic Fire,” a high-energy show of lightning-fast step-dancing driven by frenetic fiddle playing, accompanied by traditional bodhrán drums and uilleann pipes.
March 19 at 8 pm at Kingsborough Community College [2001 Oriental Boulevard at Oxford Street in Manhattan Beach. (718) 368–5596. www.onsta
Saturday night’s alright for piping!
Celtic folk outfit Burning Bridget Cleary — named for the last witch burned at the stake in Ireland — plays the First Acoustics concert series at the First Unitarian Church. Broadway actor and musician Richard Stillman will open the show with tunes and Irish stories.
March 19 at 8 pm at First Unitarian Congregational Society [116 Pierrepont St. at Monroe Place in Brooklyn Heights. (718) 288–5994. www.first
No rest for the Wicked
The Wicked Monk has the week of Saint Patrick’s Day totally covered, with shows Sunday through Friday at 6 pm. The bar hosts its usual Sunday Irish seisun — a traditional folk pub jam — on both Sunday and Saint Patrick’s Day itself. On Monday, local song-slinger John Rafferty takes the stage. The Brooklyn Bards play a wide-ranging collection of folk tunes on Tuesday, and the next day, singer Chris Decker is up.
Wicked Monk [9510 Third Ave. between 95th and 96th streets in Bay Ridge, (347) 497–5152. www.wicke
