10 Ways to Celebrate Irish American Heritage Month

Get ready to bring out the Lucky Charms, pots of gold, and “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” Buttons—March is Irish American Heritage Month! A fun time for families all over the country, Irish American Heritage Month is also a fantastic holiday to use in celebrating your own Irish ancestry or learning more about Ireland altogether. Here are ten ways you can celebrate.

10. Cook it up the Irish way. From corn beef and cabbage to traditional Irish bread, see how many different Irish recipes you can make together this month. Other recipes you might want to try include Dublin Coddle, Pea and Ham Soup, and Blackberry Sorbet.

9. Eat at your favorite Irish pub or restaurant. Whether you’ve got a chain around like Helen Fitzgerald’s (where we’ll be going as a family for the first time next week!) or a local Irish eatery, try it out. Have everyone get something different and simply pass it around so you can each experience a different flavor of Ireland.

8. Make some lucky Irish crafts. Try a hand at a traditional Irish windcatcher. These paper crafts are popular during springtime! Simply decorate the larger part with four-leaf clovers, leprechaun hats, or simply in white, orange, and green colors and let it fly from your front porch. For more Irish crafts, click here.

7. Search for the pot of gold. If you happen to see a rainbow during the month of March, chase it together! You probably won’t find a real pot of gold, but you’ll likely find something just as extraordinary—and adventure! We’ve found geodesic domes, llama farms, hidden plant nurseries, and wonderful eateries from simply following a rainbow. Of course, you could also always make your own pot of gold from chocolate coins and a bucket or even paper—or even make your own rainbow!

6. Read about Irish folklore. The Emerald Isle is rich with Celtic mythology, heroes, and stories. Find a great introduction to these here or search together online or at your local library for some take-home books to enjoy.

5. Watch a favorite Irish movie. Watch any of your own favorites, or try Darby O’Gill and the Little People, The Secret of Roan Irish, Angela’s Ashes, The Count of Monte Cristo, Braveheart, Gangs of New York, The Boxer, Far and Away, or Evelyn. (Note: many of these are not appropriate for children.) You could always catch a performance of Riverdance as well!

4. Learn an Irish ditty or two. Every time I hear an Irish beat, I always want to jump on the table and swing a mug of rootbeer (not a big drinker!) around like the hobbits in Lord of the Rings! Check out a CD at the library or look up some of your favorite performers like Enya, Clannad, The Chieftans, or even U2.

3. Practice your Irish brogue. Either try a hand at an Irish accent or learn a few select Irish phrases, like “beyond the pale.”

2. Learn about Ireland itself. From the flag to the history to the people of Ireland, get your kids together and challenge one another to see who can find the most interesting information. Pick an historical character, god, or folklore creature to dress up as and put on a play.

1. Wear green! It may be a simple concept (or a protective measure against getting pinched—at least on St. Patrick’s Day) , but you can always take it to new heights by being creative. Can you make something green to wear, maybe out of a green boa or tissue paper? How about dying your hair green with wash-out coloring? Try making a green tie-dye shirt, experimenting with green makeup and glitter, or finding ways to incorporate teeny, tiny amounts of green into each outfit for the month.