On March 17th, everyone is Irish! This week we will celebrate the annual tradition of St. Patrick’s Day and our Irish heritage by wearing green, drinking green beer, and eating corned beef and cabbage. But where did this all come from?

The traditional Irish St. Patrick’s Day feast consisted of pork and potatoes. However, in the mid-1800s when Irish immigration exploded, pork and potatoes were too expensive here in America for the new settlers. Therefore, a cheaper alternative of corned beef and cabbage came to be a new Irish-American tradition!

Why green? Traditionally, the color was blue and was known as St. Patrick’s blue. This changed when green became more associated with Ireland and became known as Emerald Isle for its luscious green landscapes. The shamrock also contributes to green culture, as this is what St. Patrick used to explain the Holy Trinity. Nowadays, here in the U.S., we wear our green to represent solidarity with Ireland and our Irish culture, cheers!

Alpena Irish History – The Owens Block in downtown Alpena was owned and operated by Irish immigrant Peter Owens. What you now know of as the banquet room adjacent to John A. Lau Saloon, used to be a funeral parlor and furniture business where Peter made and sold picture frames along with various other items made of wood. The Owens block continued to provide for local businesses for 130 years, thanks to an Irish immigrant with the dream of becoming a business owner. Sadly, this portion of the Owens Block burned down in 2020.

Alpena Irish Traditions – Put on some green, grab a friend, and head out for some corned beef and cabbage and green beer at one of Alpena’s restaurants/pubs –Alpena Food/Drink

A very special thanks to the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Special Collections, for their contribution!

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