As Celtic lore would have it, the man who would become St. Patrick was born Maewyn Succat. As a boy, he was a captive of Irish pirates and, in turn, an escaped slave.
Later in life, he would return to Ireland as a Catholic missionary, driving the snakes of paganism off the Emerald Isle. He explained the Holy Trinity — Father, Son and Holy Ghost — to the Irish masses as represented by the three leaves of a shamrock clover, thus fostering the roots of Christianity to grow in Ireland.
What started as a religious holiday (up until 1995 pubs in Ireland had to remain closed on March 17 in observance of the holiday), St. Patrick’s Day is now also a celebration of Irish performative and culinary arts honoring the higher spirit of life as represented by St. Patrick himself.
Globally, the festivities start in early March, culminate on the 17th and include all forms of merriment — song, dance, parades, feasts and a pint or two or three.
Locally, West Cape May’s Willow Creek Winery at 168 Stevens St. kicks off the festivities Friday, March 13, and continues through Sunday, March 15. On the grounds of a sprawling vineyard, Willow Creek offers a three-day feast, featuring chef George Casella’s Colcannon Soup, Reuben Egg Rolls, Jameson Pork Loins, Guiness-Braised Short Ribs and, of course, Ham & Cabbage. For those with a sweet tooth, there is Irish Bread Pudding.
Willow Creek’s celebratory foods are accompanied by rousing performances by the Emerald Isle Academy Dancers. Headed by Kate O’Brian, the show is influenced by “Riverdance” and “Lord of the Dance” shows, as well as set and ceili dances.
Music drives any party, and Willow Creek’s is driven by Gordon Vincent’s vocals and the sonorous sounds of the Irish Pipe Brigade. Donning Irish diaspora kilts, the 14 members of IPB include seven pipers and seven drummers. Their music is powerful, haunting and heartfelt.
The music heard throughout St. Patrick’s Day events bridges the gap between the sacred and profane. As to the sacred, St. Ann’s Church, at 2901 Atlantic Ave., holds a St. Patrick’s Day Observance Mass on the morning of March 14. In addition to communion, great highland bagpipes playing “Amazing Grace” might also be served.
That Mass heralds the beginning of North Wildwood’s St. Patrick’s Parade, starting at noon on Second and Olde New Jersey Avenue. Of the parade’s tradition in the U.S., Grand Marshall Jim Grugan Sr. notes, “Some of the largest after New York’s include Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Savannah, Ga., and of course, North Wildwood, N.J. (which has one of the largest populations of Irish Americans in New Jersey).”
St. Patrick’s Day parades typically feature fire and police trucks, marching bands, dancers, vintage cars, bagpipers, string ensembles and other staples of Irish culture.
“These events not only celebrate Irish culture, but also strengthen community bonds,” Grugan added.
Although North Wildwood touts the largest local Irish population, all of Cape May County celebrates with style.
As Sea Isle City prepares to throw its 34th annual parade (the oldest in Cape May County), Mayor Leonard Desiderio waxes poetic that everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. On March 14, starting at 3:30 p.m. on 83rd Street and Landis Avenue, the streets will be lined with creative green costumes to prove it.
This year honors the parade’s longtime co-chair, Carol Thompson. The pre- and after-parties will be held at Kix (120 63rd St.).
Across the bridge, west of Sea Isle, Slack Tide Brewery, at 1879 Route 9, is also throwing a St. Paddy’s Party from noon to 9 p.m. March 14. The revelry highlights $5 beer specials, including the featured offering, Paddy’s Hole Irish Red Ale. Named after a local fishing area, Paddy’s reflects the distinct category of Red Irish Ale, with its copper, amber color, low bitterness and caramel, malty finish on the palate.
This easy-drinking seasonal delight can be sipped while enjoying Mac’s Cafe food truck all day and the live sounds of Vinny Smith and Cowpunk Mafia from 4 to 7 p.m. Slainte.
In the heart of Wildwood, Anglesea Aleworks at 3401 New Jersey Ave. offers two new pot-of-gold brews:
One, McStouty, with its dark and semisweet chocolate notes, is rich on the tongue and yummy in the tummy. Its chocolatey goodness gets better as it breathes. Those who enjoy indulgence might pair it with a Toll House cookie.
And two, Piggian’s Red, an Irish Red Ale, is hearty in flavor yet goes down light with a pleasant earthy, smokey aftertaste. At the start of St. Patrick’s Day, it’s the perfect alternative to a V8 and pairs well with Irish soda bread.
Also in Wildwood, MudHen brings the Irish spirit all weekend long. Kilted Rogues offer high-energy tunes from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, as well as 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Anger Management then turns up the volume from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, while Lecompt closes out the performances from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
On March 17, the actual date of St. Patrick’s Day, Irish music, traditional and contemporary, from “Danny Boy” to “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” will flow across Cape May County.
Perhaps no more so than at the Ocean City Free Public Library, 1735 Simpson Ave., where Maura McKinney Mastro and Frank O’Mastro perform a concert entitled “Unleashing the Soul of Irish Music,” sponsored by the Ocean City Arts Center.
When asked to define the soul of Irish music, McKinney responds, “To me, it means the power and passion of the stories behind so many wonderful Irish songs written through the years, about real people and places. Of course, there are some fun, lighthearted songs as well.”
It has been billed as “a high-energy performance that often includes a jig or two.”
Also on March 17, the Irish Pipe Brigade prepares to give a high-energy barhop playing their music in North Wildwood’s Anglesea Pub (16 W. First Ave.), Cape May’s C-View Inn (1380 Washington St.), Villas’ Local Tavern (1075 Bayshore Road), and North Cape May’s 5 West (3729 Bayshore Road).
Those performances will be catch-as-catch-can. If you can’t catch them, not to worry, from now until March 17, Cape May County offers what in Celtic is known as “cead mile failte,” aka “a hundred thousand welcomes.”
– By MARC JOHNSON and MARLISA VINCINGUERRA/Special to the Sentinel