Forget Dublin — Lower Manhattan is THE place to be on St. Patrick’s Day. (Although we hear Butte, Montana puts on quite the show, too.) As the oldest neighborhood in New York City, as well as the entry point for many immigrants over the course of the United States’s history, Lower Manhattan has long been a hub for the Irish community; Castle Clinton, for instance, welcomed hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants in the 19th century, with Ellis Island taking over in 1892. Other Irish landmarks include the Home for Irish Immigrant Girls at 7 State St., which provided lodging for women and girls who arrived in the United States unaccompanied, as well as the former Five Points area located slightly north of the neighborhood, which housed many immigrant groups in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
There are a number of testaments to the Irish community in Lower Manhattan, including the Irish Hunger Memorial in Rockefeller Park. But the most fun way to celebrate the community is by hitting the neighborhood’s Irish pubs — especially on St. Patrick’s Day, when Lower Manhattan turns into one big party. Head to one or all of these spots, on March 17 or any other day, for a pint of Guinness, a shot of Jameson and a shepherd’s pie. Sláinte!
- The Dead Rabbit (30 Water St.)
- The Irish Punt (40 Exchange Pl.)
- O’Hara’s (120 Cedar St.)
- Monk McGinn’s (57 Murray St.)
- Ryan Maguire’s (28 Cliff St.)
- Stone Street Tavern (52 Stone St.)
- Ulysses’ (58 Stone St./95 Pearl St.)
- Fraunces Tavern (54 Pearl St.) (technically American, but…trust us, you want to go here on St. Patty’s!)
- The Full Shilling (160 Pearl St.)
- The Irish American Pub/Carraghers (17 John St.)
- Stout (90 John St.)
- Killarney Rose (127 Pearl St.)
- Blarney Stone (11 Trinity Pl.)
- T.J. Byrnes (77 Fulton St.)
- White Horse Tavern (25 Bridge St.)
