6 Places on the North Shore to "Get Your Irish On"

St. Patrick’s Day is Tuesday this year, and plenty of restaurants on the North Shore have plans to help you get your Irish on with St. Patrick’s Day specials, corned beef and cabbage, and Irish music.

“Green beer and green cheer,” said Kevin Marchino, one of the owners of Rockafellas Restaurant, 231 Essex St., Salem. He said Rockafellas will serve corned beef and cabbage, and green beer, all weekend and Tuesday. The John Corcoran Band will perform starting at 3 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, and the patio will be open.

Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dish. In 2009, roughly 26.1 billion pounds of beef and 2.3 billion pounds of cabbage were produced in the United States, according to the History Channel.

Corned beef and cabbage may be the most popular dish for the hoilidy, but a tradional irish breakfast is also popular this time of year.

The Pickled Onion, 355-357 Rantoul St., Beverly, will serve a traditional Irish breakfast of eggs, bacon, potatoes, Irish sausage, black pudding, white pudding, beans and Irish soda bread from on Sunday, March 15, and St. Patrick’s Day. The Irish breakfast is typically served from 9 a.m., to noon.

The Pickled Onion will serve corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day, and will have live Irish music that evening.

“And green beer,” said Sarah MacDonald, a bartender. “Of course.”

St. Patrick’s Day at Paddy Kellys Restaurant and Pub, 154 Washington St., Peabody, will definitely be an all-day holiday, starting with Kegs and Eggs at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Corned beef and cabbage, and green beer, will be served all day. Paddy Kellys will also have live Irish music and bagpipers throughout the day.

This weekend, the West Parish Church, 129 Reservation Road, Andover, will hold a Corned Beef and Cabbage Supper from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14. .All proceeds will benefit the scholarship fund for the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence.

“We think we have the best corned beef anywhere,” said Brian Farrell, owner of Claddagh Pub and Restaurant, 399 Canal St. Lawrence, “We use the red corned beef, and cook it until it’s really tender. We serve it with cabbage, carrots and potatoes.”

Farrell said corned beef and cabbage meals will be served on Sunday as well as St. Patrick’s Day. In addtion, a family St. Pat’s celebration will be held from noon to 6 p.m., Sunday, March 15, at Claddagh Pub and Restaurant. Beyond the Pale, a Celtic band, will perform, and there will be face-painting and balloons for the kids. Beyond the Pale will perform from 5 p.m. to close on Tuesday, March 17.

In North Andover, the Loft Restaurant and Pub, 1140 Osgood St., North Andover, will serve corned beef and cabbage all day on St. Patrick’s Day, The Loft also plans to introduce its new Guinness-infused Pub Grub menu this weekend.

Where is your favorite place to order corned beef and cabbage, hear a little Irish muic, and enjoy a pint or two of Guinness? Please share in the comment section below.