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# St. Patrick’s Day in Santa Monica
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/st-patricks-day-in-santa-monica-2/
- Published: 2002-03-16T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:08:45.000Z
- Author: Carolyn Sackariason
- Tags: local, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*St. Patrick’s Day in Santa Monica*

St. Patrick’s Day has been a religious celebration for thousands of years, but some where along the way it became an excuse to drink excessive amounts of green beer.

Sunday marks the anniversary of St. Patrick’s death, a day when millions of people — Irish and otherwise — will take to the local churches and pubs to recognize the patron saint of Ireland, who is one of Christianity’s most recognized figures.

Early tradition meant families attended church in the morning and danced, drank, and feasted on meals of Irish bacon and cabbage in the afternoon. The feast was particularly special since it was the only day meat could be eaten because of Lent.

In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is a religious occasion. Up until the 1970’s, laws called for pubs to be closed on March 17\. However in 1995, Irish government officials saw St. Patrick’s Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and to put Ireland back on the map.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations became popular in America for political reasons. In 1845, close to a million poor, uneducated Irish Catholics began to pour into America to escape the great potato famine.

They were hated because of their religious beliefs and “funny accents.” And when they took to the streets for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, they were portrayed by the press as “drunk, violent monkeys.”

But soon the Irish population grew to a point where they had political power. They organized and became the “green machine” when voting in their political candidates. Suddenly, St. Patrick’s Day parades became a show of strength.

To Americans, St. Patrick’s Day means green beer, shamrocks and partying. Many die-hard Irishmen would tell you that Americans could care less about the history involving Ireland’s most prized holiday. For instance, most Americans probably don’t know that the shamrock is a symbol of trinity — each clover means the father, the son and holy spirit.

Leprechauns and the pot of gold are part of American folklore — local church services and celebrations are not.

Here’s a glimpse of what’s going on in Santa Monica: • O’Briens at 2225 Wilshire Blvd. will be serving a traditional Irish meal including corned beef and Irish stew. Open from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. (310) 829-5303\. • Brennan’s at 4087 Lincoln Blvd. has 6 live bands starting at 1 p.m. until 2 a.m. Traditional Irish menu served all day along with Guinness and green beer! Open 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. (310) 821-6622\. • O’Brien’s at 2941 Main Street will be open from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. with live entertainment starting at 1 p.m. until close. Traditional Irish menu including, Irish stew, and steak ‘n’ mushroom pie! (310) 396-4725\. • St. Anne’s Catholic Church will have a corned beef and cabbage dinner at 7:00 hosted by Father Michael Guiterrez. 2017 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica. • St. Monica’s Catholic Church is having a talk about Celtic Spirituality, hosted by the YMCA. Talk to be held at 725 California Street, Santa Monica. 7 p.m. in the Trepp Center.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 16, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/031602.pdf?ref=smdp.com)