Pass Me A Pint: St. Paddy’s Day in Southie
Events, Opinions Posted Mar 7, 2016 by chenpr
After two and a half years of living near Somerville’s hipster-heavy Davis Square I recently moved across the river to Southie to
be with all my fellow millennial yuppies taking over the historic and lively neighborhood. And the move comes just in time for one of my favorite traditions: St Patrick’s Day in Boston.
The last few years I’ve made the trek from Somerville to attend the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, run by the Allied War Veterans Council of South Boston, but this will be the first year I can stroll a few blocks from my apartment to see one of Boston’s proudest traditions. While we may not be dying our rivers green as they do in Chicago, St. Paddy’s in Boston brings about a sense of regional pride unmatched by any city in the United States. Regardless of the current controversy over a shortened parade route, this year, on March 20th as you walk down Broadway on that festive and familial Sunday afternoon you will still see generations of Massachusetts families cheering on city officials, veterans, Boston’s finest and even the occasional Sith Lord and Stormtrooper. And while the enjoyment of local brews and parties filled with green-clad folks aren’t lost on me, the real high comes from being a part of the Boston community on a day where you can’t help but embrace the fraternal feeling of togetherness during St. Paddy’s Day celebrations.
This year’s holiday also marks my first St. Paddy’s since getting in touch with my Irish heritage (my paternal grandmother’s maiden name being Farrell) and spending ten days travelling throughout Ireland, visiting historic cities like Dublin, Galway and Kilkenny, and taking in the gorgeous country landscapes such as the Aran Islands, Cliffs of Moher and Blarney Castle. Besides returning with a Guinness-induced “gift of gab,” I imagine my trip to The Emerald Isle will have only strengthened the sense of Irish pride I feel during the multiple days of celebrations that take place across our city next week.
As if we need more reason to pour out a pint, here at CHEN PR we’re coming off our busiest time of year. RSA Conference in San Francisco just wrapped after literal months of preparation here at the agency. Hard work pays off, though, as my fellow CHENer Kayla Krause describes in a recent CHEN Client Confidential blog on our security clients who were poised for a very successful week at the Moscone Center (just check out our coverage). And with that the timing couldn’t be better to return east and get ready to embrace such a locally special celebration to remind us why we chose The Hub as our home.
So deck yourself in your finest green threads, grab a Guinness and raise a glass for Boston and our veterans. See you in Southie!
Sláinte!