Prague pubs will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day for the first time after two years

St. Patrick’s Day falls on March 17, and this will be the first time after two years that it can be celebrated in Prague almost without restrictions.

The biggest celebration will bring three Irish pubs in Prague’s center under one banner: St. Patrick’s Festival Prague will have events from March 15 to 20 at Rocky O’Reillys, Durty Nelly’s, and Caffrey’s. In addition to a program of entertainment, there will be a raffle to raise money for the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation, which helps families of children with severe neurological development issues.

All three pubs will have live music on March 17, and Durty Nelly’s will also have karaoke. On other days, you can find a mix of televised sports, live music, and karaoke.

Rocky O’Reillys will have an Irish-themed pub quiz on March 16. Durty Nelly’s will have an Irish Eurovision karaoke night on March 18. Ireland won Eurovision seven times, including three times in a row in 1992–94. The last win, though, was in 1996. A full schedule of events can be found online and more info is on the festival’s Facebook page.

Other Irish pubs are also celebrating but on their own. The Czech Irish Business and Cultural Association says that people will be meeting for an informal drink at the Irish Times on Feb. 17 at 6 pm. The Dubliner and the Irish Times both will also have live music from March 17 to 20. More details can be found here.

A relatively new entry to Prague’s Irish pub scene is Arthur’s Pub in Karlín. They will have special menus and live music on March 17–19. The only musician announced so far is Justin Lavash, who will play on the last day. He blends folk, blues, and jazz on the guitar. The pub’s name comes from Arthur Guinness, the brewer who first made the iconic dark Guinness beer and established the Guinness brewery in 1759.

The James Joyce Pub will have all-day food and beverage specials, including green beer, from March 17 to 19. On March 17, there will be lunch specials including beef and Guinness casserole or bangers and mash, and starting at 4 pm hostesses will play games with customers for prizes. After 6 pm there will be live music. People will have a chance to will more gifts on March 18, and Six Nations matches will be featured on March 19.

A bit out of the center, the brewpub Malešický mikropivovar in Prague 10 will be celebrating from March 17 to 23 with a menu that includes boxty (potato pancake), shepherd’s pie, and Irish stew. Irish beer and cider will be on tap, in addition to local brews. Read more on their website and Facebook event page.

All pubs mentioned will be serving Guinness, in addition to whiskeys and other Irish beverages.

A Celtic band from Australia, the Cloverhearts are on what they are calling a St. Patrick's Tour. They will be at Klub 007 in Strahov on March 19 and will also be in Brno at Metro Music Bar on March 18.

One thing that won’t take place this year is the global efforts to light landmarks in green. “2022 is a very different year and as a mark of respect to the situation in Ukraine, Tourism Ireland has taken the decision not to promote the Global Greening initiative for St Patrick’s Day,” Tourism Ireland said in a press release, adding they were planning the largest ever “greening” in 2023.

St. Patrick was not a native of Ireland. There are conflicting stories about his life. The most popular version nowadays is that he was born sometime around 385 AD in what is now Britain under the name Maewyn Succat. Although he was part of a noble Welsh family, he had a hard life. At the age of 16, he was abducted by Irish raiders and enslaved for six years. After he escaped, he became a priest and took the name Patricius. He eventually returned to Ireland and converted people to Christianity.

One famous tale is that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland. There is no evidence that snakes ever lived in Ireland, though. His symbol was a three-leaf clover, which he used to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity. This helped to make green the Irish color. According to tradition, March 17 is the date of his death, which occurred around 461 AD.

People may see the holiday referred to as St. Paddy’s Day, which comes from Pádraig, the Irish version of the name Patrick. While calling the day St. Pat’s is also acceptable, avoid saying “St. Patty’s Day.” Patty is the nickname for Patricia. Her feast day is Aug. 25, but she has no connection to Ireland.  

There's more to the Czech-Irish connection than pubs and beer: the historical link between the two European nations has considerably more ancient origins. In fact, Celts were said to have migrated across Europe from Bohemia 2,000 years ago, settling in Ireland and France.