Where to Celebrate the Wearing of the Green on St. Patrick's Day 2015

Locals got a head start on celebrating the wearing of the green at Monday night’s St. Patrick’s Day Family Night at Chick-fil-A in Brookfield. Bethel’s award-winning Gilleóghan Irish Dance performed for a full house while spectators watched slip jigs and reels and enjoyed free green shakes, courtesy of Chick-fil-A.

Here is a list of where you can deck yourself in green, kick up your heels and celebrate the luck o’ the Irish!

Tuesday, March 17

• Bethel Flag raising at 9 a.m., P.T. Barnum Square, Depot Place
  
• Mass at St. Peter’s Church, Main. St., Danbury at 11a.m.
• Flag raising at Danbury City Hall, 12 p.m.
  
• Gilleoghan Irish Dance at O’Brien’s Sports Pub, 83 Lake Ave., Danbury at 5 p.m. Fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage will be available to purchase.
• An Irish lunch and dinner will be served at the Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center, 6 Lake Ave., Danbury, from 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. Corned beef sandwiches, dinners, Shepard’s pie, Irish soda bread, and of course Guinness and Harp on tap will be available to purchase. Live Irish music at 5 p.m., and Gilleóghan Irish Dance will perform at 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 21

• St. Patrick’s Day Dinner after the 5 p.m. Mass at at St. Marguerite’s Church, 138 Candlewood Lake Rd., Brookfield. Gilleóghan Irish Dance will perform at 7 p.m.

Sunday, March 22

• Danbury’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade! Step off is at 2 p.m. from St Peter’s Church, Main St. Danbury. Bagpipers, pipe and drum bands, Scout troops, veterans, firefighters and many more local groups will participate in this fun-filled family event. The parade route will go down Main St. to West St., to Lake Ave. and end at the the Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center, 6 Lake Ave., with live Irish music, corned beef sandwiches and Irish dance from Gilleóghan Irish Dance.
• Gilleóghan Irish Dance will perform at 3 p.m. at the Mark Twain Library, 439 Redding Road, Redding
• Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by searching for items and clues in a Irish-themed scavenger hunt in Ballard Park in Ridgefield, 2-3 p.m. All children who participate in the hunt will receive a prize.

Friday, March 27

• Gilleóghan Irish Dance will perform at Brookfield Commons, Federal Rd., Brookfield, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 28

• Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Foundation’s Children’s Theatre Troupe presents “The Fisherman and the Mermaid Queen,” an original musical based upon Irish folklore. $10 for adults and $5 for children 3 and up. Benefit for the Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Foundation. For tickets call 203-739-0010 or email pfedigan0807@gmail.com.

Check out these local restaurants and pubs to get Irish beer, corned beef and cabbage, Shepard’s pie and more! Sláinte!

Bethel:

• Greenwood’s Grille & Ale House, 186 Greenwood Ave., Bethel (203)
• Putnam House, 12 Depot Place, Bethel (203) 791-1852
• Whitlock’s, 273 Greenwood Ave, Bethel (203) 791-2707

Brookfield:

• O’Connor’s Public House, 317 Federal Rd., Brookfield (203) 885-0266

Danbury:

• Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center, 6 Lake Ave., Danbury, (203) 739-0010
• Molly Darcy’s, 39 Mill Plain, Rd., Danbury (203) 794-0449
• O’Briens Sports Pub and Restaurant, 83 Lake Ave., Danbury (203) 743-9834

Monroe:

• Click here for the best Irish pubs near Monroe, according to Yelp.

Newtown:

• McGuire’s Ale House, 130 Mount Pleasant Rd., Newtown (203) 270-3999

Redding-Weston-Easton:

• Lumberyard Pub, Irish music, Leprechaun bartenders, green beer and more. Main St., West Redding, (203) 544-7287

Ridgefield:

• Click here for the best Irish pubs near Ridgefield, according to Yelp.

Shelton:

• Click here for best the Irish pubs near Shelton, according to Yelp.

Wilton:

• Click here for the best Irish pubs near Wilton, according to Yelp.

Photo credit: Wendy Mitchell