For 364 days a year Bel Air is a quiet community, but when it comes time for Saint Patrick’s Day, the bagpipes start at dawn. Spring is here, and March has snuck up on us just like that. March comes with not only beautiful weather, but one of the luckiest holidays of all time. Saint Patrick’s Day is an exciting time to get out, celebrate, and have lots of fun with your friends and family.

The History of St. Patrick’s is to celebrate the saint of Ireland’s anniversary of death on March 17th. So, if it is an Irish holiday why do Americans celebrate it? Well, there are a variety of reasons. Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day to honor Irish heritage, culture, and the influence Irish immigrants have had on America.

So, how does America celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? More specifically how does our town of Bel Air celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? One event that Bel Air has annually is the AOH Annuel St. Patrick’s Day Party. The party is held at the Bel Air Armory and includes live music, Irish food, and raffles. Some other ways Bel Air celebrates is a Candle Workshop at Harford Vineyard and Winery on March 15. However, near main street is Looney’s, which is an Irish pub and most people find themselves there celebrating the Irish.

I interviewed Kaitlyn Mann, a senior who works at Looneys to find out what it is like at an Irish Pub on an international Irish holiday. I asked Kaitlyn if more people come in on March 17th or the weekend before. She replied with, “Definitely more people come on the weekend before, but we still have fully packed tables on March 17th.” She said most people tend to come in on March 17th for food and over the weekend stay late at night for food and drinks. I asked her how many people come in to celebrate and Kaitlyn said, “way too many to count, definitely a couple hundred.” The final question I asked Kaitlyn to wrap up the interview was what one word is you would describe your shift as on Saint Patrick’s Day and Kaitlyn said, “Nonstop.”

Saint Patrick’s Day is a holiday full of fun and celebration. So, whether it is wearing green, going to Looney’s, or just staying home appreciating the Irish and their accomplishments.