St. Patrick's Day Celebrations in Breckenridge — Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

ResortQuest Breckenridge Blog,
Originally published Friday, November 19, 2011 —

Tabhair pog dom taim Eireannach

Blog written by Breck local Karin Bearnarth who has a special place in her heart for all those Irish — even just a wee bit!

Breckenridge celebrates St. Patrick's Day just a wee bit this March 17, 2011! Whether you are born and raised in Ireland or have a touch of Irish in you, celebrating St. Patrick's Day in the high country will have you saying "Tabhair pog dom taim Eireannach" (Kiss me, I'm Irish!) before the end of the evening!

Start your day off at Burke and Riley's, which will open at 7am with a giant Irish buffet breakfast. Mark Burke, one of the owners, says he will be serving up a traditional Irish breakfast, the most important meal of your day! Later in the day, enjoy the sounds of the old country with bagpipers from Denver's Emerald Society. Burke and Riley's also will have live Irish music, a DJ and Celtic dancers throughout the afternoon and evening. A small cover charge will get your first beor ghlas (green beer) and a collector's Burke and Riley's t-shirt. Of course, there will be Guinness on tap as well.

Head over to Fatty's Pizzeria, a local's tradition for St Patrick's Day lunch. The corned beef simply falls apart, because they braise it and then slow cook it for eight hours. It is served with cabbage and other vegetables that have been slow cooked as well. They open at 11 and serve at least 100 pounds of corned beef that afternoon! Yum!

Beor Ghlas

Napper Tandy's owner Anthony Bulfin — born and raised in County Tipperary, Ireland, and rumored to be a direct descendant of St. Patrick — hosts another gigantic celebration beginning with a true Irish buffet with corned beef and cabbage with soda crackers, plus Guinness on tap. The buffet opens at 11am and stays open until 4pm. Live Celtic music will run from noon to close. The decks at Napper Tandy's will be filled with revelry and have nice views of the mountains. At 5pm, be dazzled by Breckenridge's own Celtic Steps dancers — ages 5-15 — that have been professionally trained by members of the cast of Lord of the Dance and will perform traditional Irish dances until 6pm. Impress Anthony by saying "Pionta Guinness le do thoil," which means, "A pint of Guinness, please!"

New this year will be an upscale St Patrick's Day party at Blue River Bistro from 4-7pm. Their new chef will prepare traditional Irish fare including corned beef and cabbage, but with an avant-garde twist. Owner Jay Beckerman says he is introducing a new St Patrick's Day martini to go along with the fabulous appetizers. Larry Copeland will be performing his outstanding jazz but promises it will have an Irish twist, as he and his crew have been working on U2 covers! Getting green at the Blue will certainly have you saying "Eirinn go Brach" (Ireland forever) for the rest of the night!

Get to Breckenridge to celebrate St. Patty's Day or anytime this spring and save up to 40% on lodging through March — or experience Spring Fever in a different light all April! Save up to 40% off Spring Fever Lodging and cure that need for spring skiing, après and all those awesome events!

We look forward to seeing you this St Patrick's Day! Slainte!