St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Even though Minneapolis, Minnesota is not as well known for its Irish Pubs as its twin St. Paul, there is still a wealth of golden times to be found on St. Patrick’s Day. Check out Minneapolis’s annual St. Patty’s Day parade. The tradition started in 1969 with the Sons and Daughters of Ireland providing the one and only float, a group of St. Patrick’s followers and a few members of the Vikings football team riding motorcycles between the Bradford’s Pub and Duff’s Bar in Minneapolis. (In fact is rumored that the parade ended with the motorcycles being driven through the door at Duff’s.) The parade as since grown to include a Grand Marshall, many business sponsored floats, pipe and drum bands and of course all of the Irish families and those that love them cruising from 13th Street on the Nicollet Mall ending up together on Fifth Street. To reserve a spot for your own league of wanna-be leprechauns call 763-788-1925 and leave a message requesting more information.

When heading downtown in your finest greens, do not forget to accessorize with an official Minneapolis St. Patrick’s Day Button to help support a program that helps kids with diabetes go to camp. You can pick them up at many of the local pubs. The following is list of the more popular hot spots to party with St. Patty on March 17th.

1.) Kieran’s Irish Pub, billed as The Home of Irish Culture in the Twin Cities, is located at 330-2nd Avenue South in Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can contact the owner Tim Fitzgerald by phone 612-339-4499, fax (612) 339-4145 or email: fitz@kierans.com You can also browse Kieran’s website at http://kierans.com/

2.) O’Donovan’s Irish Pub is located at 700 First Avenue North in Minneapolis, Minnesota. O’Donovan’s boasts that they are the first Irish Pub in Minnesota to be built entirely in Ireland and shipped piece by piece to Minneapolis. You can browse their website at http://www.odonovansirishpub.com/ . For more information, O’Donovan’s can be reached by calling 612-317-8896 or e-mailing info@odonovansirishpub.com. If you would like to speak to the owner Dermot Cowley personally, he can be reached by phone at 612-227-8463 or by e-mail at dermot@odonovans.com

3.) The Local Irish Pub is located right on the Nicollet mall in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota at 931 Nicollet Mall. Their website is http://www.the-local.com. For more information, call 612-904-1000 or e-mail comments@the-local.com .

4.) Keegan’s Iris Pub is located at 16 University Avenue North East in Minneapolis, Minnesota and can be reached by calling 612-252-0880. They boast that the pub was designed and built in Waterford, Ireland, then installed by Irish carpenters and finished by Irish decorators. Home of the famous Perfect Pint Club, where you get a free pint of draft beer for every ten you purchase at regular price. Their website is http://www.keeganspub.com/

The reviews that I have read on all these of these establishments are excellent from the ambiance, to the service, to the food. Where better to spend St. Patrick’s Day then in a pub where you can be surrounded by everyone sporting the Kiss Me I’m Irish Buttons with no threat of discrimination.