Guide to 🍀 St. Paddy's in Saratoga
Special bonus content. History, event listings, kids stuff and more!
After a winter that buried us in snow and a brief fake spring that lifted our souls, St. Patrick’s Day Weekend is bringing the cold back.
But we’re Upstate New Yorkers. 🍀 We celebrate anyway.
See you out there,
Abby
P.S. Tomorrow’s Friday the 13th and no one’s talking about it. 🍀 Bring on the luck of the Irish!
Saratoga’s Irish roots: from ‘Dublin’ to a church born in the 1830s
Before the parades and pints, how Saratoga’s Irish laborers shaped our St. Patrick’s Day.
By Michael Hallisey
Before you raise a pint to Dublin this weekend, let’s take a moment to recall the time when Saratoga Springs’ West Side home was nicknamed exactly that.
For a stretch of the city’s nineteenth-century history, the neighborhood west of Broadway was dubbed “Dublin,” a reflection of the Irish immigrant families who settled in the West Side Historic District as laborers during the Spa City’s transformation into one of America’s great resort destinations.
As captured by the Saratoga Arts District, the West Side — particularly around Beekman Street — developed into a working-class neighborhood where immigrant families lived close to the industries that employed them, from the hotels that catered to summer visitors to the railroads that carried them north.
The Catholic Church became the center of that community life. St. Peter’s Parish, established in the 1830s, served Saratoga’s earliest Catholic immigrants, many of them Irish. As the congregation grew, the Albany Diocese eventually created St. Clement’s Parish in 1917 (80 years later).
By the late nineteenth century, Irish immigrants formed one of the largest ethnic groups in the Capital Region.
By then, St. Patrick’s Day had already begun to evolve from a religious observance into a public expression of Irish identity in American cities — marked by Mass in the morning and celebrations later in the day.
👉 Michael Hallisey is the founder/editor of Ish Bulletin; subscribe today to stay up-to-date on all things 518.
Special 🍀 St. Patrick’s Guide
St. Patrick’s Weekend around the Spa City
By Michael Hallisey
Ode to Parting Glass
St. Patrick’s Day isn’t Parting Glass’s Super Bowl; the Big Game is only one day, and they’ve been celebrating all month.
March 13: Steve Gray Duo, 8 p.m.
March 14: The Ruffians, 8 p.m.
March 15: The Prodigals, 6 p.m.
For a full schedule, click on the above video.
Starting today
Pot of Gold Weekend — Adirondack Winery (2 locations) | Today through Mar. 15
Adirondack Winery is celebrating its Pot of Gold Weekend at both of its (Lake George and Queensbury) tasting rooms. Today through Sunday, from12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., wine tasters can play Guess the Corks for a chance to win special prizes — and taste a free sample of the “The Leprechaun,” a sparkly, green apple wine cocktail.
‘Finnegan’s Farewell’ — UPH | Today through Mar. 14
Feast on Irish soda bread and Shepherd’s pie during UPH’s pre-St. Patrick’s Day musical comedy.
Keep reading!
Friday
Live Music: Jeff Brisbin — Henry’s Irish Tavern (Ballston Spa) | Mar. 13
A long-running weekly solo set by a Saratoga-area songwriter who has held the room for more than a decade. Casual bar setting with a steady local following.
Saturday
Wild Irish Acres Dancers — Saratoga Springs Public Library | Mar. 14
Celebrate Saint Paddy’s with performances of jigs, reels and hornpipes to infectious ‘Trad’ music, 11 a.m. Saturday. No registration required, but seating is limited to 90 attendees, in accordance with room capacity.
The Leprechaun Limited — Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway (Corinth) | Mar. 14 & Mar. 21
A themed excursion train ride through the southern Adirondacks built around St. Patrick’s season. Family-scale tourism programming combining scenery, live music, and light theatrical elements.
Saratoga LepreCON Pub Crawl — Participating Bars (Saratoga Springs) | Mar. 14
A St. Patrick’s weekend pub crawl spanning multiple downtown bars with live music and raffles built into the route. Social-scale turnout with a charitable tie to Blood Cancer United.
Barrel Fest — Adirondack Pub & Brewery (Lake George) | Mar. 14
An outdoor winter beer festival centered on rare barrel-aged ales from regional breweries. Cold-weather gathering with live music, bonfires, and tasting-glass culture drawing craft-beer enthusiasts from across the Northeast.
St. Patrick’s Day Specials — The Docksider (Lake George) | Mar. 14 and 15
Feast on corned beef and cabbage, potatoes and carrots for just $24. Lunch starts at 11:30am, dinner at 4pm. Friday and Saturday
Opening Day — Martha’s Dandee Creme | Mar. 14
What it sounds like — think spring!
From Dublin to Dusseldorf St. Patrick’s Weekend Beer and Whiskey Fest — Dancing Grain Farm Brewery | Mar. 14 and 15
Irish-inspired pours
Saratoga Sausagesmiths & Whisky Ridge Sourdough - Bavarian-style pretzels
Live music: Tom Powers & Friends
Special guests North Country Wild Care Wild Birds & Turtle
Sunday
Padraig Timoney Trio — Carson’s Woodside Tavern | Mar. 15
Live music in the cozy bar begins at 5 p.m.
👉 Michael Hallisey is the founder/editor of Ish Bulletin; subscribe today to stay up-to-date on all things 518.
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🍀 Much Irish luck to ya
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— Abby
Wild Irish Acres Dancers at the library is a great family event. I spent years following them around as a dance dad. Great programs full of fun for families.
Fun!