Dropkick Murphy's - "Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced" Because this is just so much more honest than those silly "kiss me i'm Irish" shirts. There are plenty of folks at the St. Patrick's Day parade who are not Irish, but are looking for a sloppy makeout session. This is their full-disclosure theme song.

The Pogues - "A Pair Of Brown Eyes" Well, there had to be a Pogues song on this list (spoiler alert: there's two), and this one makes sense because it's perfect for a drunken sing-along, especially when you get to the "and a rovin a rovin a rovin I'll go" part, which is one of the best parts of any song ever.

Thin Lizzy - "Whiskey In The Jar" A sort of obvious pick, but a great song in any case. The Metallica version of this song is quite good, too, but it's been played to death, and it just seems more logical to give this spot to an actual Irish band. There are dozens of versions of this song floating around in the corners of the internet, so feel free to substitute whichever version you like.

George Thorogood And The Destroyers - "I Drink Alone" Parades aren't for everyone, and neither is public drunkenness, so this classic goes out to all the folks who will be getting plastered in the privacy of their own homes, preferably with no company whatsoever. A lot of folks will hanging out with their pal Johnnie Walker, and his brothers Blackie and red this March 17th, and we salute them.

Flogging Molly- "What's Left Of The Flag" Well, first of all, this is just a great celtic-punk song, and a great drinking song, but it's title could hold a deeper meaning for some. Let's be honest, Irish culture gets bastardized pretty severely at most St. Patrick's Day parades - one Facebook friend of mine expressed his dismay at the usage of the Lucky Charm logo being used in the parade. So, this one goes out to anyone annoyed at how their Irish heritage is represented on this day.

The Cranberries - "Zombie" In a similar vein of More Serious Songs, this immortal 90s hit discussed the 1916 Easter Rising, and was fairly controversial when it came out. Some praised it for calling attention to an important part of Irish history, while others thought it trivialized the events. In any case, it's certainly a memorable song, and shows the darker side of Irish heritage.

The Dubliners - "Seven Drunken Nights" To anyone thinking of making it St Patrick's Week.

Merle Haggard - "I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink" Hey, Celtic music isn't the only source of good drinking songs - country has a ton of classics. As with "I Drink Alone," this could go out to the folks don't go downtown to the parade, but will still be knocking back a few dozen. And also for those who don't need it be March 17th in order to do so.

The Pogues - "Dirty Old Town" The second Pogues song - they get two because they're the Pogues. This legendary folk tune was oringally recorded Ewan MacColl, but it's been covered by just about every act associated with Irish music in any way, including The Dubliners. MacColl considered the Pogues version to be the definitive take on his song, so it's the one I chose here, but feel free to substitute your own personal favorite.

The Irish Rovers - "Wasn't That A Party" A popular favorite around this time of year (I've heard it at Wegmans three times this weekend), which is somewhat ironic because it describes the consequences the next day more than the party itself. The perfect theme song for the crippling hangover you'll be waking up with the next morning.

The second Shamrock Shakedown commences tomorrow night. Jamieson Productions and the Marciniack Brothers are filling the Dnipro Ukranian Center with lights, video projections and DJs. Music talent from various East Coast cities, NYC, Toronto, Pittsburgh to name a few, along with our Buffalo favorites will be performing late into the night with multi-genres and four different rooms for you to dance and bounce around to.

"It's celebrating and offering a safe place to do it," Carl Jamieson says about the Shakedown. In the scene since age 16, Jamieson throws the Shakedown not only to celebrate his personal joy for the Irish tradition, but to bring both music and culture together while also giving attendees a safer place to do it. Yes, the Buffalo St. Patty's Day parade is an absolute blast but realistically, it's a madhouse. Moving to Buffalo from Syracuse, I wasn't sure what I was in for. The first parade I went to I apparently walked directly through a fight right outside of the Arby's on the corner of Allen and Delaware, this according to the post-parade recount telling of what happened. Jamieson also looks to the Shakedown as a means of springtime celebration. Regardless of the fact that the weather is basically going through the mood swings of an angsty teenager, spring should be on the way.

Tickets will be sold at the door and in advance, I recommend the latter. Not only does it make your life easier but it saves you $5. Which buys you a beer. Or maybe a taco, if that suits your fancy more.

Nuair atá an cat amuigh bíonn na luch ag damhsa. See y'all Saturday.



 

Folks, I'm going to totally punt on my Monday piece this week. I promise to have something more substantial and coherent later in the week when I'm more coherent. In all truth I've totally celebrated the two day Saint Patrick's Day festivities that took place in Buffalo this past weekend, and there ain't a whole lot for me to say. The ludicrously obscene weather made for a weekend to remember, with the best attended South Buffalo First Ward Parade in history Saturday and an insane Parade on Sunday. Everybody truly was Irish, Buffalo truly was the Land of Do-As-You Please for 2 magical days, and everything was green. I don't think we'll ever forget it.


U2's "Beautiful Day" has never been more appropriate.




Cheers Buffalo. I love you. Great Saint Patrick's Day. Until next year.

Well, it's here again, St. Patty's Day is among us and the early groans from peoples livers can be heard loud and clear.  This weekend everyone is Irish.  Irish car bombs and Jameson shots will be flowing freely this weekend.  It's not every year that St. Patty's and the parade the same weekend and that only equals immense amounts of fun.  Here are a few things you can do this weekend to add to your drunken stupor(or sober if thats for you.)