Bars not green with envy

Marisa O’Neil

If your friends suddenly have green hair, speak in a brogue of

dubious origin and add an O to their family name, fear not. It’s just

St. Patrick’s Day.

Traditionally associated with shamrocks, leprechauns and green

beer, today’s holiday will fill most every local watering hole that

has an even remotely Irish name with every person who has an even

remotely Irish name. The overflow will come from everyone else who

declares himself or herself an honorary Irish man or woman, just for

today.

“A lot of people claim Irish heritage,” said Irish-born John

Lyons, a manager at the Harp in Costa Mesa. “I don’t know if that’s

just popular to say or if they really are Irish. Maybe the Irish

people just went out and populated the world. But everybody wants to

be Irish and have fun on St. Patrick’s Day.”

Traditionally, the holiday celebrates St. Patrick, who legend has

it drove the snakes out of Ireland in the 4th century. It is more

commonly thought that the story is a metaphor for converting many of

Ireland’s pagans into Catholics.

Americans with Irish heritage took the religious holiday and ran

with it, turning it into one of the busiest days of the year for bars

and pubs. That has, in turn, rubbed off on the homeland.

“In Ireland, it was a holiday, and people went to church,” Lyons

said. “But now it’s becoming very commercial. It’s almost as busy as

here. God bless America for making everything nice and commercial.”

The more authentic bars here, however, eschew such affectations as

adding food coloring to watered-down domestic ales. Instead, they

serve Irish brews Guinness and Harp in their natural black and amber

hues.

The Harp and the Shamrock in Newport Beach also boast that they

carry Smithwicks Ale, Ireland’s oldest.

Both pubs will open early to serve an Irish breakfast as well as

traditional Irish fare, such as corned beef and cabbage.

Muldoon’s in Newport Beach will be celebrating its 30th St.

Patrick’s Day today, said Mary Murphy, manager and County Cork

native. And if you forgot to wear green, she said, they’ll be selling

commemorative T-shirts in Irish emerald.

All three pubs will have live music from Irish bands to get people

in the mood.

Skosh Monahan’s, owned by Costa Mesa Mayor Gary Monahan, will open

at 4 p.m. and serve its full menu, Monahan said. The half-Welsh,

half-Irish Monahan said he expects a big crowd.

“St. Patrick’s Day is the biggest celebration of the year, so they

all come,” he said.

But Costa Mesa police will also be out in force, making sure that

revelers don’t test the luck of the Irish by driving home drunk.

They will have extra traffic enforcement and a sobriety checkpoint

at Newport Boulevard and Flower Street from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

“We chose St. Patrick’s Day because it’s related to alcohol, like

Cinco de Mayo,” Officer Bryan Wadkins said. “We want people to have a

good St. Patrick’s Day, but our hope is to spread the word that they

need to be safe on these holidays as well.”

Choosing a designated driver who won’t drink or having the number

for a cab company ready to call for a ride home are good ways to plan

ahead before a night of drinking, he said.

And for those who get home safely but overindulge, British tea

shop Tea and Sympathy in Costa Mesa will have scones and Irish tea

for the morning after.

“We’ll leave [St. Patrick’s Day] up to the pubs,” Janet Ingham

said. “They can come in here the next day for some tea to sober up.”

* MARISA O’NEIL covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.