pierceman

hey ya'all, hows it going? anything fun this week. Tuesday St. Patty's where is the best place to be? I'm in Tysosns again
MAtt

e3opian

I'm not sure what's going on downtown, but just outside the city is Four Courts.

http://www.irelandsfourcourts.com/

I'll probably be up that way at some point. It depends on what time I can get out of work.

MsPerky

There will be big lines at all the Irish places today. See blurb from the WaPo below. Have fun! I saw cap1 (Jeff) was discussing a get together soon at Tysons. Maybe he can arrange it this week!

Tuesday, March 17: Virginia Events

Musicians play for 14 hours straight at Ireland's Four Courts on St. Patrick's Day, both on stage in the pub and in a tent in the parking lot set up to accommodate overflow crowds. An Irish lunch is served from 10 to 2, and music begins at 11. After lunch, all chairs are removed from the pub and it becomes standing room only.

It's hard to figure which is the bigger draw at Ireland's Four Provinces on St. Patrick's Day: The live music, with Don Cobert and the band Dirty Pints taking turns all day, or the set meals in the dining room. A three-course Irish meal ($26.95) will be served at 11, 1 and 3. Dinner, served at 5, 7 and 9, costs $10 more. Reservations are recommended, as the timeslots often fill up in advance. The bar opens at 8 a.m. for a kegs and eggs party, with a $10 cover.

Looking for celebrate without too much fuss? Mackey's in Crystal City will be open for business as usual.

Lines are always long for Murphy's of Alexandria on St. Patrick's Day, but with no cover charge at the venerable Old Town pub and live Irish music from longtime Murphy's favorites Rocky Guttman and Pat Garvey all day, it's not hard to see why. Doors open at 9 a.m.

Doors at Ned Devine's and Ned Kelly's open at 11 a.m. with a promise of "Green beer and Irish food." Local singers Phil Kominski and Nate Ihara play from 11 to 7, and a troupe of Irish step dancers performs at 6:30. Alternative rock cover act Scott's New Band takes over from 10 to close. There's a $10 cover after 7 p.m.

The vast Ned Devine's Irish Village, with a main room resembling a movie set of an idealized Irish town square, opens at 5. The precocious youngsters of the School of Rock Band take the stage at 6, followed by rockers Rude Buddha. You'll pay $10 cover whenever you show up.

O'Faolain's opens at 8 a.m. for kegs and eggs -- full Irish breakfast with $4 pints -- but it's not the Animal House-style madness you might expect. "As we also offer free wireless, we get lots of folks who work in the Dulles corridor that will use O'Faolain's as their office for the day," reports general manager Justin Holohan. "By 9 a.m., they have had breakfast, are drinking pints and working away on their BlackBerries, laptops and PDAs . . . Mind you, by noontime the BlackBerries disappear." The rest of the day is rounded out with live music between noon and 3 and then again from 5 p.m. to close, with an Irish dancing performance at 3:30. There's $10 cover charge from 2 p.m. on unless you have dinner reservations.

As one of the few Arlington pubs offering live music without a cover on Tuesday, O'Sullivan's should prove a popular destination. Doors open at 11, and the music begins at 4. First up is the Michael Patrick Band, followed by the Journeymen at 7 and the Flying Cows of Ventry at 10. A very limited menu will be available, but there will be happy hour specials.

Congratulations are in order for the Old Brogue, which is celebrating its 28th anniversary on St. Patrick's Day. As always, the homey Great Falls pub is splitting itself into three venues on the 17th. The cozy "snuggery" room opens at 8 for a traditional Irish breakfast, accompanied by hammered dulcimer player Jody Marshall. The set-price menu costs $25, though that doesn't include drinks. A large outdoor tent opens at 9 a.m., with its own bar and a limited food selection. (Note: no seats are available in the tent.) The main pub opens an hour later, though the entertainment, featuring singer Ted Garber, doesn't start until 1. Lunch and dinner, which require reservations, are served in the snuggery and feature Irish tunes by Irish singer Sarah Croker. There's a $10 cover if you're not having a meal.

Every St. Patrick's Day, Ireland's Own performs an unusual swap. Managers pull all of the tables out of the dining room and bar to make space for standing-room-only crowds and move diners to a heated tent on the brick patio. Inside, you'll no doubt get to see owner Pat Troy perform his legendary version of "The Unicorn Song" and have the chance to clap along to "The Wild Rover" multiple times. On the patio, breakfast is served at 9, lunch at 11, 1 and 3, and dinner at 5, 7 and 9. There's a $10 cover to enter the main building.

Local cover band Dr. Fu is again the main attraction at Ri-Ra's party, following on a lively (and packed) performance last year at the Clarendon bar. The band takes the stage at 9:30. Doors open at 10 a.m., and there's live Irish music in the afternoon and a $10 cover after 5.

-- Fritz

By Fritz Hahn | March 12, 2009; 9:00 AM ET

HMFIC

^ i know now who i'll be going to for information for events lol

gfacter

I had Corned Beef for lunch (no cabbage) and wore a green shirt.

That's it for my festiveness today

HMFIC

i'm wearing green

not much of a choice being in the army lol

pierceman

thanks perk! hope all is well for you happy st pattys

MsPerky

Thanks...had lunch with Grannyrod (Angela) and enjoyed some corned beef and cabbage myself!

pierceman

lol i went to cheese cake and then to bed... im a dud

USMCs2k

i got really drunk dont rember comming home