St. Patty's Day in Denver

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated virtually anywhere that there is an Irish presence. Chicago turns the Chicago river green, New York and Boston pubs party till the wee hours, and Dublin, well it's the capital of Ireland, so what can you expect. Yet all those people with Irish heritage (or anyone who wants to be Irish for a day) in Denver, Colorado, don't give up hope as there are plenty of Irish pubs around town to drink lots of Guiness and celebrate the Irish. Of course, since the day is called St. Patrick's day, knowing a bit about the guy you might be toasting to isn't a bad idea either.

As St.-patricks-day.com explains, St. Patrick was believed to have been late in the fourth century and is the patron saint of Ireland as is Catholic tradition. He is famous both for spreading Christianity around Ireland as well as writing a scathing report about the British occupation of the island. Both of these have incredible timeliness. Today Ireland is still, by most estimates, a highly catholic country, although the part still owned by Britain, Northern Ireland, is protestant. This fact brought about "The Troubles" for most of the 20^th century where the rogue IRA (Irish Republican Army) fought against the UDF (Ulster Defense Force) as well as British soldiers to make Northern Ireland part of the Republic. Yet the religious divide seems to have kept the two countries separated. The fact that in the fifth century St. Patrick was already concerned about British presence carries to the present as well. In 1921 Ireland finally loosened Britains control of the Island, limiting them only to Northern Ireland (which elected to remain in the UK).

Yet for all the time before the British treated the Irish with detest and would look at nearly every colony they had as being far superior to the Island. Actually, a popular Irish-English drink which many will probably see on the 17^th, the Black and Tan, comes from the term used to describe the British military police in Northern Ireland who terrorized catholic residents. The drink, a mixture of half Guinness and half of the English Bass beer, is actually very tasty. So, there you have it, the enduring importance of this day for the Irish.

Now that you know better why you're celebrating this day, if you are in Denver here are some great Irish pubs to feel like your in the old country. The Rover on south broadway, a few blocks north of Alameda, has a great Irish bartender and some wonderful Irish music. The Irish snug on east Colfax caters to the eclectic people of the Capitol hill neighborhood, and Failte in Lodo is popular and trendy to boot. So wherever you go, drink a Guinness, sing a few songs, and remember that saint who brought this day to life.