St. Patrick’s Day Myths, Demystified

Raglan Road’s Irish dancers perform traditional and contemporary Irish music and step dance nightly from 4:30-11 p.m. and during weekend brunch from noon-3 p.m. ©Raglan Road

GREEN BEER HAS BEEN A STAPLE of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations since Dr. Thomas H. Curtin, a New York physician, added a drop of wash blue (shockingly, an iron powder laundry whitener) to a mug of beer for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. The trend caught on, and nowadays, green beer is a popular choice on St. Patrick’s Day, along with wearing green clothing, parades and the Chicago River being dyed green—another unnatural occurrence. But I digress.

Today, green beer is made with green food coloring, but if you’re going for authenticity, it’s a beverage you should skip, says Rachael Conroy, general manager of Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant at Disney Springs.

“Just say ‘no’ to green beer,” says Conroy. “Ireland serves no green pints on Paddy’s Day. Though now and then people do bring green dye to add to their pints.”

You read her response right—Conroy said, “St. Paddy’s Day.” Another misnomer debunked.

“It’s not ‘Patty’s Day,’ it’s ‘Paddy’s Day,’” she says. In Irish, the name Patrick is Padraig. “You’ll never hear an Irish person call it Patty’s. It hurts the ears of Irish people when they hear this.”

The snug hearkens to the days when men and women drank in separate parts of a pub. ©Raglan Road

Conroy knows what she’s talking about—she hails from the Irish Midlands. If your head’s spinning, don’t worry, it’s a lot to get past. But now you’re on the right path! Settle down with a pint or two of Guinness, a true Irish creation, and revel in your new knowledge. And while we’re at it, we’ll just leave this right here: Raglan Road’s retail store, Shop for Ireland, is one of few in the U.S. licensed to sell official Guinness merchandise. So, stock up on these goodies while you can, especially if you’re shopping for it on or around St. Paddy’s Day. It’s best to line up early. Which is good advice in general, given Raglan Road’s popularity, not just in March but throughout the year. Owned and run by two Irish partners, Raglan Road’s dining experience is infused with genuine Irish hospitality. The restaurant’s custom furnishings include those designed and built by Irish craftspeople, as well as century-old antiques, ornamentation and bric-a-brac shipped to Central Florida from Dublin when the pub opened in 2005. Four distinct antique walnut and mahogany bars, each more than 130 years old and imported from Ireland, serve as focal gathering areas.

Guinness merchandise sold at the Shop for Ireland store. ©Raglan Road

Raglan Road’s snug is also an important piece, and played a part in the evolution of the Irish pub. In earlier days, women and men drank separately—the women in the snug and the men in the bar. The two areas were separated by timber screens or glass separators. The snug seen here is used for the restaurant’s large parties and can have the door closed for privacy or open to the Grand Room and stage where the entertainment happens. Entertainment such as Raglan Road’s Irish dancers, who perform traditional and contemporary Irish music and step-dance performances. Watch daily at intervals between 4:30-11 p.m. and during the Rollicking Raglan Weekend Brunch from noon-3 p.m. As you do, nosh on traditional Irish fare. Corned beef and cabbage is the American version of the traditional St. Paddy’s dish of Irish bacon and cabbage, and Raglan Road lets you in on that taste sensation with the savory bacon and cabbage mac ‘n’ cheese bites, known on the starter menu as “When Ireland Dates America.”

Don’t leave, though, without a large order of Comfort Bread, a homemade delight that comes with a decadent Guinness glaze. What about the name, you ask? Here’s our (almost) final tidbit— Raglan Road is named after one of the best-known streets in Dublin. Now raise a glass and shout “Sláinte!” (pronounced “SLAN-che,” which means “health.”) Happy Paddy’s Day! For more information, visit raglanroad.com.

Bar. ©Raglan Road

The ABCs of Dublin Slang

A Aul one (elderly mother)

B Banjaxed (broken, recked)

C Craic (wild time)

D Delira (pleased)

E Eejit (fool)

F Fair play (well done)

G Gerrup outta dat (stop that)

H Head the ball (crazy person)

I In like Flynn (on to a sure thing)

J Jacks (restrooms)

K Kacks (underwear)

L Lee Marvin (starving, hungry)

M Muppet (fool)

N Nice one (well played)

O On the lash (having a few drinks) 

P Puss (face) 

Q Quare one (strange person)

R Rapid (great fun)

S Spanner (fool)

T Tosser (fool) 

U Up the yard (get out of here)

V Vaseline (mean—know hat I vaseline?)

W Wearing the face off each other (kissing passionately) 

X Xtra (an unwelcome, plain-looking person)

Y Yous (plural of you) 

Z Zup (What’s up with you?)