Shamrock on Tap: Last Call at Boston's Irish Pubs

St. Patrick's Day is over. Last night may have passed in a blur of Guinness and green but today's St. Patty's festivities pale next to the alcohol binges of old. Local pub proprietors and bartenders-most from the Emerald Isle and with the accent to prove it-kept their preparations minimal for America's most notorious Irish holiday.

They all agree that weekend-long festivities are a thing of the past. "Years ago, pubs would be busy from the time they opened up, that's the was the way St. Patrick's day went. But the way it's going now, I think it's changed over the years. Because it's on a Wednesday it's kind of hard to predict how crowded it's gonna be. I'm sure when people get off work it's gonna pick up," explains Paul Byrne, owner of James's Gate in Jamaica Plain. "It has a lot to do with what day it falls on," says Rembert Stolinsky, dishwasher at The Harp. "Since it falls on a Wednesday, it'll get busy early then die out because people have to go to work the next day."

But Ireland isn't drinking Boston under the table on St. Patty's Day-quite the opposite. There, the holiday has never focused on drinking. Only in the U.S. has March 17 become a day of alcoholic excesses. "In Ireland it would be more of a traditional family day like Thanksgiving. Definitely people will go out and celebrate but it isn't the same intense partying that it is here," Byrne adds. "In my home it is more of a family day, people getting together and stuff. Maybe going to pubs and because it is a holiday, but not like you see in downtown Boston."

As Byrne implies, Americans have co-opted the stereotypes of the reveling Irish for their own purposes. In Boston, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated mainly in pseudo-Irish bars with a younger crowd. The Harp, a generic bar across from the FleetCenter, boasts that it is "the famous Irish Restaurant and Pub in Boston, Massachusetts" but there's little Irish about this place other than Guinness and Killian's on tap. "We have sort of an Irish theme," says Stolinsky, "but our entertainment is rock and roll and we serve pretty much American food." Perhaps to cover it's faux Irish roots, The Harp is making a St. Pat's promotional effort. "We're decorating and we're promoting," says Stolinsky. "Most of the promotions are tied to beer companies and vendors. They'll come in here and decorate."

Irish-owned James's Gate and The Druid also play up Irish culture for the holiday. They take advantage of Irish music's current vogue is the U.S., making Gaelic sounds a St. Patty's mainstay. "We're going to have traditional Irish music all day. We have a working fireplace and they're going to gather around there," Byrne says. "We have a special appearance by the Boston Police bagpipe band on the day itself and on the eve we have the Irish Army pipe band in town."

Even The Harp may have an Irish band playing for the occasion. Amid this authentically enhanced ambiance, the college set comes to party. "As the night goes on, the crowd gets a little younger," Stolinsky says. "We try to keep them from getting rowdy a much as possible. Everyone thinks they can drink a lot more on that day. A lot of times we have to ask people to leave, but we try not to let it get to that point."

Brogued James's Gate and The Druid report no problems with drunken patrons. "St. Patrick's Day is fun because a good crowd comes in here. People know how to behave themselves and stuff, so we never have any bother or anything. Everybody's just out for a good time," says Patrick Delaney, bartender at The Druid.

So what's the true way to tell an Irish pub from a Gaelic wannabee? Check the head on a pint of Guinness. It should be shamrock-free. "No shamrock-that's American," Delaney says. "To me, it's more important to pour a good pint of Guinness that to put a shamrock on top."