Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit!

At West Suburban Irish we're celebrating the Most Wonderful Time of the Year a little differently...again. Just because we can't get together in person quite yet doesn't mean the show won't go on. In fact, quite the opposite is happening: several organizations across the globe will be livestreaming or broadcasting their St. Pat's celebrations so everyone can enjoy them.

Here are the best of the celebrations we've found so far, mixed in with a few of our own. Drop us a line if you know of other St. Patrick's Day events that should be included here, too.

Slainte!

Featured Events

Irish Soda Bread Baking Class

March 10 and March 16 at 6:00 pm CST

A hands-on class where you'll learn how to bake Irish Soda Bread and what to pair with it.

The class is led by Cynthia Collins Cieckiewicz, owner of Uptown Soda Bread and Chef Veronica Porter, owner of Ask Aunt V Cooking and Garden Classes.

Cynthia and Veronica are WSI members All proceeds will be donated to WSI.

Finding Your Irish Roots in 2021

March 25 at 7:00 pm CST

Join us for an online conversation and Q&A with Ellen Driscoll, owner of Ancestry Sisters, as she gives us an overview on:

- How to find your Irish roots.

- Accessing records in the North and Republic.

- Using DNA tools in your search.

It's free and open to the public.

Schedule of Events

March 1-31

Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise's
St. Paddy's Day 5K Virtual Run

Run for Downtown Naperville in 2021! Rotary Club has teamed up with Downtown Naperville to promote our downtown businesses and to keep this 5K run active for years to come.

March 2

West Suburban Irish's
Virtual Quiz Night

7 pm CST

Exercise that brain of yours with four rounds of brand new trivia!

It’s free, fun and you don’t have to be a WSI member to play.

Categories are Ladies First, Wake Up Call, Say it in Plain Irish and Lovebirds.

March 4

The Axis Sessions: Lux Alma
3 pm CST via Facebook

Live from Dublin. Lux Alma is the solo project by award winning composer, musician and sound designer Alma Kelliher.

Her music is sometimes contemplative, sometimes pulsing, concentrating on themes of female strength and Irish mythology, all wrapped in a dreamy electro aesthetic with Alma's soaring vocal at its core.

March 6

Celtic MKE’s At Home St. Patrick's Celebration
Starting at 10 am CST

From the folks who put on the Milwaukee Irish Fest, enjoy a full day's worth of programming ranging from family entertainment to cultural shows and performances from emerging artists in Ireland.

March 10

West Suburban Irish's
Irish Soda Bread Baking Class

6:00 pm CST
This is an in-person event.

A hands-on class where you'll learn how to bake Irish Soda Bread and what to pair with it.

The class is led by Cynthia Collins Cieckiewicz, owner of Uptown Soda Bread and Chef Veronica Porter, owner of Ask Aunt V Cooking and Garden Classes.

All proceeds will be donated to WSI. Registration required.

Old St. Pat’s Virtual Happy Hour and Cooking Demo
5:00 pm CST

Cook Irish specialties along with Fr. Hurley and chefs from The Kerryman and The Gage.

Saturday, March 13

Yorkville's St. Patrick's Day Celebration!

It's time to get out and celebrate! Join the United City of Yorkville for their IN-PERSON St. Patrick's Day events starting with a 5K run at 9:00 am and ending with a fireworks show at 6:30 pm.

Lots of family entertainment, live music, food and drink specials.

March 12 to March 17

Dublin's National St. Patrick's Festival

Six days of online events featuring hundreds of artists, musicians, performers, makers, creators, arts and live events from across Ireland streamed into your home. See below for details.

March 16

West Suburban Irish's
Irish Soda Bread Baking Class

6:00 pm CST
This is an in-person event.

A hands-on class where you'll learn how to bake Irish Soda Bread and what to pair with it!

The class is led by Cynthia Collins Cieckiewicz, owner of Uptown Soda Bread and Chef Veronica Porter, owner of Ask Aunt V Cooking and Garden Classes.

All proceeds will be donated to WSI.

Registration required.

March 17: St Patrick’s Day!

5:00 am CST: St Patrick’s Day Mass at St Mary's Star of the Sea Church, Annagry, Co Donegal via Annagry Parish Webcam (in Gaelige)

7:30 am CST: St. Patrick’s Day Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City via their livestream.

5:00 pm CST: Dropkick Murphys free livestreamed concert at www.DKMstream.com

Roscommon Arts Centre's Lá Fhéile Pádraig: a virtual program of events celebrating Ireland's National Day.

National Museum of Ireland's Symbols of Ireland: a pop-up talk about some of the hidden meanings behind Ireland's famous symbols.

The Late Late Show St Patrick’s Day Special: RTE’s famed late-night talk show will broadcast live from an iconic Irish location.

March 25

West Suburban Irish's
Finding Your Irish Roots in 2021

7:00 pm CST

Join us for an online conversation and Q&A with Ellen Driscoll, genealogy expert with Ancestry Sisters, as she gives us an overview on:

- How to find your Irish roots

- How to access records both in the North and the Republic

- The DNA tools in your search and how to use them

This is a presentation and Q&A so bring your questions about genealogy research.
Registration required.

Dublin's National St. Patrick's Festival

March 12-17, 2021

Six days of online events featuring hundreds of artists, musicians, performers, makers, creators, arts and live events from across Ireland.

All will be accessible globally via the St. Patrick’s Festival TV Channel, www.stpatricksfestival.ie.

You can stream the full program of events in real time and watch the recordings until March 21.

The final schedule will be announced in early March.

The Festival will offer events for kids, teens and adults. You can enjoy everything from a traditional Irish Session to live walking tours of Sligo to vignettes from young Irish filmmakers. There are loads of activities for kids, too.

Ongoing Activities

Take a virtual 360 tour of the Jameson Distillery Bow St. where you'll learn a little about their process, story and taste, all from the comfort of your own sofa.

https://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/en-UK/article/360-distillery-tour

Take a virtual tour of Viking Ireland exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland

and see what the Museum found during one of their excavations in Dublin, the most important Viking site in Ireland.

Plant a tree with the Irish Heritage Tree program

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day and honor your Irish roots by planting an Irish Heritage Tree! The forest is in County Tipperary by the banks of the Fadaghta River.

Medieval Irish Saints Word Search

Learn about some of Ireland’s early saints and the objects connected to them with this word search.

Make Your Own Medieval Hand Bell

Create your own early medieval hand bell, inspired by the bell thought to have once belonged to St. Patrick.

Write Your Own Ogham Code

Ogham writing is the earliest form of writing found in Ireland. Learn more about the Ogham Code and use it to write your own inscription with this activity.

Welcome to WSI

The West Suburban Irish promotes, nurtures and strengthens Irish culture in the western suburbs
of Chicago through community events, the arts,
language and sport.

Become a Member

Support the good works of WSI by becoming a member. You don't even have to be Irish to join.

Donate

Your gift to West Suburban Irish is vital in helping us
promote, nurture and strengthen Irish culture
in the western suburbs of Chicago.
And it's tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Meet Our Sponsors

The West Suburban Irish gratefully acknowledges the generosity of our sponsors. Their support makes it possible to do what we do.
Please support these businesses and organizations throughout the year.

To receive a customized sponsorship package that fits your needs contact Tim Johnston at 630.235.1390.