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St. Patrick's Day falls on a Wednesday this year, and that might put a damper on some celebrations. But with traditional optimism, the Irish accept the challenge as a great opportunity to expand the party from today straight through the day itself â€" and even a bit beyond.
"I think I started last Saturday," says Laurence Shine, who was born in Kilkenny and raised in Dublin. "I'm still recovering!"
Shine, a James Joyce scholar who works as a lecturer in the English Department at Buffalo State College, says, "I like the way people go to work on St. Patrick's Day and kind of drift out around noon" into pubs and restaurants that will welcome them with the staples of Irish socializing: drinks, food, music, conversation, and even dancing and singing.
Here's a day-by-day guide to this year's St. Patrick's festival.
Today
Start celebrating tonight with the Irish Classical Theater Company's annual fund-raiser, built around an Irish wake. The wake for mythical dearly departed Ted N. Gaughan runs from 7 to 11 p.m. in the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum (453 Porter Ave.). The $45 ticket includes wine and beer, food, raffles, an auction, bagpipers, Irish dancers and music with Poor Ould Goat and Stone Row. Tickets are available at the door at 453 Porter Ave. starting at 7 p.m. Also today, the Buffalo Irish Center (245 Abbott Road, 825-9535 www.buffaloirishcenter.com ) features Penny Whiskey at 8 p.m. and Clann na Cara dancers at 9 p.m.
Saturday
A breakfast buffet runs from at 8 a.m. to noon at Conlon's Bar & Grill (382 Abbott Road; 725-6072, www.conlonsbarandgrill.com).
The 17th annual "Old Neighborhood" St. Patrick's Day Parade kicks off at noon from the Valley Community Center (www.thevalleycenter.com). The grand marshal is Peg May Szczygiel and the parade is dedicated to Joan LaRusch, Mike "Ozzie" Overdorf, Tom "Shaky" Masterson and Patricia Henault. An Irish Hooley will follow the parade at the Valley Center, running until 6 p.m. Poor Ould Goat and Irish dance schools will perform.
The Irish Center will be open, with music starting at 3 p.m. by Kevin McCarthy, the Dustmen and Stone Row, and the Rince na Tiarna Dancers at 9 p.m.
The Pug Mahones will perform from 9:30 p.m. to midnight in the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery (76 Pearl St.), to raise money for the Belfast Summer Relief Program. Admission is $4. Silent auctions and a raffle are planned, and corned beef and cabbage will be served.
Also, the Twelve Irish Tenors will perform daily through March 20 at the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ont. Tickets start at $20 (Ticketmaster, 877-833-3110).
Sunday
Buffalo's 68th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, organized by the United Irish-American Organization of Erie County, starts at 2 p.m. from Niagara Square outside City Hall and proceeds along Delaware Avenue. Thomas Patrick Young is this year's grand marshal, and Young has selected his fiancee, Vincy Faliero, and his cousin Dennis O'Brien as his deputy grand marshals. The parade is dedicated to the memory of Terence Halloran.
The pub at the Irish Center opens at 3 p.m. with the Leftovers, Penny Whiskey and Irish dancers.
The Pearl Street Grill & Brewery will again be the site of a benefit for the Belfast Summer Relief Program. John Culliton Mahoney and the Clann na Cara dancers will perform between 3 and 7 p.m.
Monday
Today is the last day to make reservations for Wednesday's traditional Irish breakfast at the Irish Center. Cost is $15; call 825-6700 for reservations.
Tuesday
Check out the Irish Film Night planned for W.J. Morrissey's Irish Pub (30 Mississippi St., 852-0930, www.wjmorrissey.com). "Bloody Sunday" begins at 7 p.m., followed by "Veronica Guerin" with Cate Blanchett; admission is free.
D'Arcy McGee's Irish Pub (257 Franklin St.; 853-3600 or www.darcymcgeesonline.com), also has a "dinner and a movie" event, starting at 5:30 p.m. with dinner and an 8 p.m. showing of "The Wind That Shakes the Barley." Tickets are $20; reservations suggested.
Wednesday
Start with a breakfast buffet from 8 a.m. to noon at Conlon's Bar & Grill (382 Abbott Road), or a traditional Irish breakfast at W.J. Morrissey's.
Drop off a loaf of fresh-baked soda bread at the Irish Center by 10 a.m., wrapped in clear plastic and labeled with your name and phone number, for judging. Prizes awarded. Mass begins at 10:45 a.m. in the Irish Center, followed by the traditional breakfast, for those with reservations (see Monday). Music starts at 2 p.m. in the center, with Kevin McCarthy, McCarthyizm and Penny Whiskey and the Rince na Tiarna Dancers.
The UB Center for the Arts will host a 7 p.m. performance by Irish tenor Ronan Tynan with Meav, a founder of Celtic Woman. Tickets are $62, $77, $82 with a limited number available at $127 (Ticketmaster or call 800-745-3000). Some proceeds will benefit the Buffalo Sabres Foundation.
The Lancaster Opera House (21 Central Ave., Lancaster), will host a vaudeville-style show by Rich and Debbie Derwald starting at 7 p.m. at Eddie Ryan's (50 Central Ave., Lancaster). The event includes a St. Patrick's Day feast, with a cash bar. For tickets ($40), call 683-1776 or go to www.lancopera.org.
Thursday
W.J. Morrissey's will serve Irish coffee laced with Bushmills all day.
Stand will bring its brand of modern Irish-inflected rock to Nietzsche's (248 Allen St., 886-8539 or www.nietzsches.com) starting at 9 p.m.
Restaurants, bars
Pubs and restaurants offer a variety of live music and Irish food and drink during the entire St. Patrick's season. Here are some highlights:
The Shannon Pub (2250 Niagara Falls Blvd., Tonawanda; 743-9348 or www.shannonpub.com) offers live music by the Dave North Trio today through Sunday and again on Wednesday; by Tom Callahan from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesday and by Joe Head from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday. Corned beef, lamb stew and shepherd's pie are on the menu year-round, and the Shannon serves a traditional Irish breakfast every Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
J.P. Fitzgerald's (4236 Clark St., Hamburg; 649-4025 or jpfitzgeralds.com) uses four buses to ferry patrons to the downtown parade on Sunday and will have live Irish music Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday evening. Corned beef is on the menu year-round.
W.J. Morrissey's Irish Pub does a 14-day celebration of St. Patrick's Day, with celebrations after the Valley parade Saturday and its traditional breakfast all day Sunday. On Monday, an Irish buffet will be served all day for $8, and on Wednesday, the pub opens at 8 a.m. with a traditional Irish breakfast, and music and food all day.
Dwyer's Irish Pub (65 Webster St., North Tonawanda; 692-4837 or www.dwyerspub.com) will operate a shuttle bus to the Buffalo parade Sunday starting at 11 a.m. for $5 and have live music that night. On Wednesday, food and drink specials will include Dwyer's Famous Irish Potato Chowder; live music starts at 5 p.m.
Darcy McGee's Irish Pub (257 Franklin St.; 853-3600 or www.darcymcgeesonline.com), has live music all day Sunday and music by John Murdoch starting at noon Wednesday and the Pug Mahones at 7 p.m. Food includes corned beef and cabbage and shepherd's pie.
The Edge of Town Restaurant (2310 Genesee St., Cheektowaga; 893-4476) will serve all-you-can-eat corned beef and cabbage for $10.95 from Saturday through Wednesday.
Malone's Irish Pub (3020 Delaware Ave., Kenmore; 875-2020) will serve corned beef and cabbage for $9.95 Saturday through Wednesday. Rochez Irish Dancers will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday; Rince na Tiarna at 7:30 p.m. Sunday and O'Sullivan dancers at 7 p.m. Monday. Draft green beer.
Bobby McGee's (4224 Maple Road, Amherst; 831-3271, www.bobby-mcgees.com) will offer daily corned beef and cabbage dinners and Irish stew.
The Glen Park Tavern (5507 Main St., Williamsville; 626-9333, www.glenparktavernbuffalo.com) will serve corned beef and cabbage and green beer all day Wednesday, and the Rochez Irish Dancers will perform between 5:30 and 6 p.m.
Ulrich's Tavern (674 Ellicott St.; 853-1860, www.ulrichstavern.net) will serve corned beef and cabbage daily through Wednesday. Live music starting at 7 tonight by the Leftovers; Tom Callahan at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and again at 3 p.m. Sunday, along with the Caladonian bagpipes. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, Tim Daley will host the weekly singing session. Music by the Leftovers is from noon to 4 p.m. and The Wildes from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
Gene McCarthy's Pub and Restaurant (73 Hamburg St.; 855-8948, www.genemccarthyspub.com) will host the South Buffalo Irish Luncheon afterparty today with the McKenzie Highlanders from 1 to 3 p.m. Live music will begin after Saturday's and Sunday's parades and from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, with corned beef specials.
The Blackthorn Restaurant and Pub (2134 Seneca St.; 825-9327, www.blackthornrestaurant.com) offers live music today, Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday from 5 to 10 p.m. Corned beef and cabbage dinners and sandwiches will be served all weekend.
The Irish Times (38 Swan St., 854-2199) offers Irish drinks and food, including corned beef and cabbage, Irish lamb stew, and the popular shepherd's pie with homemade Irish soda bread.
The Irishman Pub & Eatery (5601 Main St., Williamsville; 626-2670) has extensive live music and dancers from tonight through Wednesday, including Pat Kane at 9 tonight; Poor Ould Goat at 10 p.m. Saturday; Irish dancers at 6:30 p.m. Sunday and Joe Head at 7 p.m.; dancers at 5:30 p.m. Monday and Tom Callahan leading an Irish singing session at 7 p.m.; dancers at 5:30 Tuesday and Irish for Generations at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday's music begins at noon and includes a contemporary session from 1 to 4 p.m., Dan McCue on pipes from 4 to 6 p.m., Irish dancers at 6 p.m. and the Fighting 69th at 7 p.m.
B.K. Ryan's Irish Pub (3191 Eggert Road, Tonawanda; 446-9427, www.bkryansirishpub.com) serves shepherd's pie and Ryan's Irish potato soup daily. Corned beef and cabbage dinners and sandwiches will be offered from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily until St. Patrick's Day.
Other pubs that will be playing Irish tunes and serving drinks and food include: Charlie O'Brien's, 865 Elk St.; Brennan's Bowery Bar, 4401 Transit Road, Clarence, www.brennansbowerybar.com; Eddie Brady's, 97 Genesee St.; O'Brien's Pub and Steakhouse, 8557 N. Main St., Eden, www.obrienspubeden.com; McPartlan's Corner, 699 Wehrle Drive, Williamsville; and the Buffalo Brew Pub, 6861 Main St., Williamsville.
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