When celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, forget eating cabbage and corned beef or drinking green beer. Those are not authentic or traditional Irish food or drinks to celebrate Saint Patrick’s day. Instead, celebrate like the Irish at the Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival at Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant at Disney Springs. The Mighty Festival just started on Friday, March 11th and runs for seven days until the big St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Thursday, March 17, 2016. Plenty of time to drink pints of Guinness, eat authentic Irish food and experience live music entertainment and dancers straight from Ireland.
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The menu features cuisine by Irish celebrity chef and PBS/Create TV personality Kevin Dundon. Last year I shared my experience from Ireland on our Raglan Road Trip with Chef Kevin. Experiencing the way he creates Irish classics with a modern twist translates into the Irish menu at Raglan Road and is a must try during the Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival. The dinner menu features a special dish, loin of bacon and cabbage, the authentic Irish dish of St. Patrick’s Day. Throughout the festival, the restaurant’s Cooke’s of Dublin counter-service eatery will offer Irish favorites, including fish and chips, and more.
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Award-winning Irish bands and talented Irish dancers will showcase their traditional Irish roots during the festival. The entertainment schedule will be posted on raglanroad.com.
(from Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival in 2015)
Headline acts during the Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival include Irish bands JigJam, The Raglan Roots Coalition, Cooney & Ryan, Avi McGourty and The High Road:
· The Raglan Roots Coalition – 10 years down the road, Raglan felt it was time to shake its boogie – Roots style, with this new Irish house band. Think soul-rocking Celtic bluegrass with some hip-swingin’, knee-shakin’ funky roots beats, and you’re only halfway there.
· JigJam – The hottest new act on the Celtgrass music scene, this County Offaly, Ireland, trio blend the best of hard-driving American Bluegrass and Irish folk music.
· Cooney & Ryan – One of the finest traditional Irish music duos around, these accomplished, energetic musicians often invite the crowd to sing along.
· Avi McGourty — Award winning singer-songwriter McGourty from County Tipperary, Ireland, is a rising star on the Irish music scene with her soulful lyrics and joyful musical renditions.
· The High Road — These young, traditional Irish musicians who met in University in Ireland exude musical chemistry. A predominately Irish traditional group, they also play British folk, blues and soul.
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Enjoy a pint of Guinness, or 2 or 3 or 4…
(from Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival in 2015)
To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day like the Irish, here’s seven fun facts to keep in mind (courtesy of Raglan Road):
1. Never call the holiday “St. Patty’s.” It’s either “St. Patrick’s Day” or “St. Paddy’s.”
2. A shamrock has three leaves (not four – that would be a clover).
3. Americans invented the St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1737 in Boston.
4. Most Irish pubs do a full month’s business on St. Patrick’s Day.
5. Guinness sells 13 million pints on St. Patrick’s Day versus the usual 5 million daily.
6. Raglan Road is America’s #1 Irish Pub.
7. Green beer is an American invention. Raglan Road does not serve green beer.
(from Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival in 2015)
The Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival is family friendly and will include complimentary face painting and giveaways. Mighty Festival hours are 4 p.m.-1:30 a.m. March 11, 14, 15 and 16; noon until 1:30 a.m. March 12 and 13; and 11 a.m. until 1:30 a.m. March 17. The pub opens weekdays at 11 a.m. for lunch and weekends at 10 a.m. for brunch.
If you want a true taste of an Irish celebration for St. Patrick’s Day, Raglan Road’s Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival from March 11-17 is as authentic as it will get in Orlando or anywhere else in Central Florida. Enjoy the Irish food, drinks, and entertainment. As always, celebrate responsibly. Sláinte!
Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant
Disney Springs
1640 East Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, Orlando FL 32830
www.raglanroad.com
Words and photos by Julius Mayo Jr.
Content and photos © Droolius.com 2016
