FIVE THINGS TO KNOW TO DAY: St. Paddy’s Day Fun

Today is Thursday, March 17. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Here are five (Irish-inspired) things you need to know today.

1. First, the bad news: St. Patrick – he wasn’t Irish. According to , he was born in either Southern Scotland, Western England or maybe even Wales. Some time after he turned 16, he was kidnapped and sold into slavery by Irish marauders. You can read more about the man who became the patron saint of the Emerald Isle and whose life (and death, to be exact) we honor today on . Pretty interesting stuff.

2. Now, good news: There are a number of St. Paddy’s Parties at pubs around town tonight and we’ll have a full list for you in our Patch Picks later today.

3. More good news: On Friday, Dervish is coming all the way from Ireland’s County Sligo to perform their “sparkling brand of traditional Irish music” fronted by “one of the finest traditional singers in Ireland today,” Cathy Jordan, on the Somerville Theatre main stage—and while most seats are sold, upper balcony tickets are still left. Tickets are $28. Details here.

4. Get your green stuff ready: The St. Paddy’s Parade is starting on Sunday afternoon in Southie. This, by the way, is reportedly the second largest St. Patrick’s parade in the country – something like 600,000 to 1 million people watch it every year. Parade starts at 1 p.m. at Broadway Station. For more details and a full route, go to the parade web site.

5. And today, we will finally get some relief from this very Irish weather: Sunny, high near 55. Clouds tonight, but it won’t get colder than 40.

Looking for more things to do in Somerville?

Be sure to check our Events Calendar here.