Anne Scarffe, Nederland. As I contemplate possible stories of St Patrick’s day, be it history of the man or of the Emerald Isle, I think of one of the last times I drove into Nederland. A light rain was coming down and the sun was shining through. As I drove past the curve by the dam, out of nowhere appeared a rainbow up and over the reservoir, and it looked like the end was in the middle of town.

“Beautiful,” I said to myself.

Then a beat-up Subaru blew past me even though I was driving the speed limit. The driver gave me the middle finger wave. 

As I continued through town, traveling around the round-a-bout which has mining equipment and a mining museum, I didn’t see a pot of gold there. And over the bridge, with a bunch of potholes to avoid, a long line of cars was waiting to turn into the Caribou Village Shopping Center. 

I looked throughout Nederland for the end of the rainbow, but, alas, it had disappeared. I drove into the parking lot, and I thought about if St. Patrick’s Day would be celebrated in Nederland bars and restaurants this year. Most of Ned’s restaurants have said they will be open their normal hours on St Patrick’s day, but with their normal great food and drink.

The Covered Wagon at 15 East First Street will have corned beef and cabbage soup on special, and will have Irish drink specials, including an Irish Mule drink, which is like a Moscow Mule but made with Irish whiskey. They will be serving Guinness beer and Jameson whisky, which is one of their best sellers, served by a “real Irish bartender” who will be playing Irish tunes.

The Mineshaft at 35 East First Street will have corned beef and cabbage with soda bread and drink specials. 

The Last Stand Tavern at 32138 Hwy 72 in Coal Creek will have a St. Patrick’s Day party on Saturday, March 20. The party goes from 5 - 9 p.m. including live music, food and drinks specials and a “Best Irish Garb” contest!

Roy's Last Shot at 17268 Hwy 119, in mid Gilpin, will have a St. Patrick's Day meal with Irish food and drink specials. They are open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday.

Saint Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish. This story first appears in writing in 1726, though it may be older. In pagan Ireland, three was a significant number and the Irish had many triple deities, a fact that may have aided St Patrick in his evangelization efforts. Icons of St Patrick often depict the saint “with a cross in one hand and a sprig of shamrocks in the other.” 

Ask an Irishman about the custom of “drowning the shamrock” or “wetting the shamrock” which has been popular, especially in Ireland. At the end of a celebration, a shamrock is put into the bottom of a cup, which is then filled with whiskey, beer or cider. It is then drunk as a toast to Saint Patrick, Ireland, or those present. The shamrock could either be swallowed with the drink or taken out and tossed over the shoulder for good luck. 

The holiday has been celebrated in what is now the United States since 1601. 

Since 2010, famous landmarks have been lit up in green on Saint Patrick’s Day as part of Tourism Ireland’s “Global Greening Initiative” or “Going Green for St Patrick’s Day”. 

The Sydney Opera House and the Sky Tower in Auckland were the first landmarks to participate, and since then more than 300 landmarks in fifty countries across the globe have gone green for Saint Patrick’s day. Chicago dyes their river green on that day. On Saint Patrick’s Day, it is customary to wear shamrocks, green clothing or green accessories. If not, you might get pinched.

Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, and céilís. Drinking alcohol like Irish whiskey, beer, or cider, has become an integral part of the celebrations. Some color the booze with green food dye on this one day a year. Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations have been criticized, particularly for the public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. Some of the festivities have become commercialized and tacky, and have strayed from their original purpose of honoring St Patrick and Irish heritage.

Although the rainbow was gone at the end of my drive, I knew that the bars and restaurants in the Peak to Peak would be as full as Covid regulations will allow, with those celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in 2021. I will raise my glass of green beer to you all as I’m Scottish and English, but we all become Irish on St Patrick’s day.

(Originally published in the March 11, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)