Everyone can be Irish on St. Patrick's Day

Join the hooley and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in true Irish style! You don’t have to be from the Old Country to join in the revelry on Saturday.
A St. Patrick’s Day fact: St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated publicly in Boston in 1737. International celebrations then became increasingly common after the great potato famine forced huge numbers of Irish folk to America, Australia, and Europe.
Nowadays, the festivities are more of a secular celebration, although it is actually a religious feast day that falls during Lent. Custom has it that fasting was set aside for one day to allow the nation to honor its culture and rich harvest.
These days, St. Patrick’s Day is commemorated over several weekends with many events and parades throughout the region. A family-friendly celebration takes place at Long Island Children’s Museum on this weekend, with Darlene Graham and her Shades of Green Band. She visits the LICM theater on Saturday and Sunday, March 17-18, at 2 p.m., with her take on traditional Celtic music. In true Darlene Graham-style, her interactive performance involves much audience participation, with everyone singing along.
Meanwhile, bring the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day into your home, with that quintessential food: Irish soda bread. Irish soda bread is a simple quick bread that most everyone enjoys. It gets its name from the baking soda used as a leavener, instead of yeast. Traditional soda bread is made with only flour, buttermilk, salt and baking soda. More contemporary versions add ingredients like sugar, raisins and caraway seeds.

Irish Soda Bread
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 12 servings (1 loaf)