Don’t go green with envy — don your best green attire and join the wide range of festivities celebrating the St. Patrick’s Day holiday in the Mercer County region.
Bar Fare
Trenton Tir na nOg
The real deal Irish pub on the Hamilton/Trenton border hosts a full day of live music in honor of St. Patrick’s Day on Monday, March 17.
Greeting revelers from 1 to 4 p.m. is Diarmuid MacSuibhne on banjo and vocals presenting traditional Irish tunes. The musician now based in the Philadelphia area is originally from Baile Bhúirne, in a part of County Cork, Ireland, where the Irish language is still widely spoken.
Trenton-based indie band the Successful Failures follow from 4 to 7 p.m. with their original blend of Americana, pop, rock, and bluegrass. Closing out the night is Some Assembly Required, performing from 7 to 10 p.m.
Tir na nOg, 1324 Hamilton Avenue, Trenton. trentontirnanog.com.
Killarney’s Publick House
The Hamilton bar offers a full weekend of live music and entertainment, kicking off on Friday, March 14, with a St. Patrick’s Day happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. Hamilton native Marc Sacco performs on drums, guitar, and vocals starting at 5:30 p.m., and DJ Bay takes over at 10 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, are jam-packed with music and more, with valet parking available on Saturday and Sunday. The schedule is as follows.
Saturday, March 15: Ty Mares, 11 a.m.; Successful Failures, 1 p.m.; Rock Tide Duo, 4 p.m.; Some Assembly Required, 7 p.m.; DJ Dom, 10 p.m.
Sunday, March 16: Bob Banka, 11 a.m.; Ty Mares, 3 p.m.; Joanna Caruso, 5:30 p.m.; DJ Jimmy G, 9 p.m.
Monday, March 17: Successful Failures, noon; Bantry Boys and DeNogla Irish Dancers, 3 p.m.; and DJ Jimmy G, 8 p.m.
Killarney’s Publick House, 1644 Whitehorse Mercerville Road, Hamilton. www.killarneyspublickhouse.com.
Pennytown Pub
The Pennington watering hole from Gretalia Hospitality Group hosts a kickoff party on Friday, March 14, featuring live music by the Shamrock Shenanigans from 7 to 9:30 p.m. A full weekend of food and drink specials continue into the grand finale on Monday, March 17, with specials starting at 4 p.m. Wear green!
Pennytown Pub, Pennington Square Shopping Center, 25 Route 31 South, Pennington. getforky.com/pennytown-pub.
Make a Meal of It
Cooper’s Riverview
The Trenton restaurant and live music venue hosts a St. Patrick’s Day Eve party on Sunday, March 16, at 6 p.m. Performing will be the Merzey Beat, a Beatles tribute band. Drink specials include the traditional Guinness as well as Forged Irish Stout — a beer founded by Irish mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor — and mixed drinks featuring Slane Irish whiskey.
Reservations are recommended for parties of two or more.
Cooper’s Riverview, 50 Riverview Plaza, Trenton. www.coopersnj.com.
Lambertville Station
The Riverside Ballroom at Lambertville Station hosts a St. Patrick’s Day Bash on Saturday, March 15, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.
The Raggle Taggle Gypsy O’s Band plays live Irish music to accompany a traditional Irish dinner. Menu choices include an appetizer of potato dumplings or creamy parsnip soup; a choice of entrees including corned beef, North Atlantic cod cakes, vegan Dublin coddle, or lemon-herb roasted chicken; and chocolate sticky toffee pudding for dessert. The cash bar will feature Irish beer, mixed drinks, and mocktails.
Tickets are $95 per person, including tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 609-397-8300 ext. 500.
Riverside Ballroom at Lambertville Station, 11 Bridge Street, Lambertville. www.lambertvillestation.com/events.php.
Party for a Cause
Contact of Mercer County
CONTACT of Mercer County — a nonprofit that provides free emotional support to residents struggling with mental illness, facing a crisis, considering suicide, and feeling alone — hosts an evening filled with live music and Irish cuisine in support of its mission at the Hopewell Valley Golf Club on Friday, March 14, at 6 p.m.
Enjoy a traditional Irish dinner accompanied by the sounds of the band Kindred Spirit. Tickets, $25 in advance or $35 at the door, helps the nonprofit organization continue its life-saving work—offering free, confidential suicide prevention and crisis counseling for those in need throughout Mercer County and the state. Purchase tickets online at hvgc-ticketed-events.square.site.
The St. Patrick’s Day Irish menu consists of a corned beef platter or fried fish sandwich and a cash bar with Irish favorites like Guinness. The music starts at 7:15 p.m.
CONTACT of Mercer County, Hopewell Valley Country Club, 114 Pennington-Hopewell Road, Hopewell. www.contactofmercer.org.
Wine & Dine
Unionville Vineyards
The winery in Ringoes holds at Saint Patrick’s Happy Hour on Saturday, March 15, from 5 to 8 p.m. with wine, live music, and Irish food. Tickets, $55, include one glass of wine.
The Tiger’s Tale in Skillman caters a buffet meal featuring homemade corned beef and cabbage, boiled potatoes, Irish soda bread, baked shepherd’s pie, grilled Irish bangers topped with a French onion sauce, and fresh red bliss mashed potatoes.
Unionville Vineyards, 9 Rocktown Road, Ringoes. www.unionvillevineyards.com.
Terhune Orchards
The winery at the Lawrenceville farm offers toe tapping Irish tunes all weekend in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. On Saturday, March 15, enjoy the music of Shamrock Shenanigans with Mike Tusay, and on Sunday, March 16, listen to Irish Tunes with husband-and-wife duo Bill and Mary O’Neal.
Homemade Irish soda bread will be available for purchase in the farm store to enjoy along with Terhune wines. S’mores and hot cocoa kits, cheese plates, sandwiches and grain bowls, and chips & salsa baskets are also available at the winery.
The winery is open from noon to 5 p.m. each day, with live music from 1 to 4 p.m.
Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road, Lawrence. www.terhuneorchards.com.
Lessons from Ireland
Nassau Inn
Get into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit at the hotel’s Yankee Doodle Taproom, where expert bartenders lead a St. Patrick’s Day mixology class on Thursday, March 13, at 6 p.m. Attendees learn how to craft three cocktails, alongside some light bites, while getting into the festive spirit.
Tickets, $54, are available via Resy.
Nassau Inn, 10 Palmer Square East, Princeton. palmersquare.com/event/yankee-doodle-tap-room-st-patricks-day-mixology-class.
Center for Modern Aging Princeton
The Center for Modern Aging offers “A Taste and Tour of Ireland” on Thursday, March 13, from 11 a.m. to noon at the Suzanne Patterson Building in Princeton. Registration is required to attend. The cost for the event is $10.
Join live local tour guide as they explore the vibrant streets of Dublin, Ireland, during the Saint Patrick’s Day celebration. Immerse yourself in the city’s rich history, architecture, and festive energy as you experience the charm of Ireland like never before. Along the way, savor the flavors of authentic Irish cuisine, indulging in signature dishes.
Center for Modern Aging Princeton, Suzanne Patterson Building, 45 Stockton Street, Princeton. engage.cmaprinceton.org/component/events/event/949.
Trenton Free Public Library
The library hosts a presentation by Debbie and Mike Raab, certified tea specialists and trainers of Tea-For-All Tea in the Trenton Farmers Market, on “Celtic Tea Traditions” on Friday, March 14, from 2 to 3 p.m.
The lecture explores Celtic history, traditions of tea in the various Celtic regions, and the emphasis on hospitality, concluding with a tea tasting and a few Celtic blessings.
Trenton Free Public Library, 120 Academy Street, Trenton. www.trentonlib.org.
Music to the Ears
State Theatre of New Jersey
The State Theatre in New Brunswick presents the Shamrock Tenors on Saturday, March 15, at 8 p.m. as part of the Irish music sensation’s inaugural North American Tour. Tickets range from $39 to $99.
Direct from Belfast, Shamrock Tenors features performers from both sides of the community across Northern Ireland, with vocalists from London’s West End and the country’s best multi-instrumentalists.
Their show takes you on a journey through Ireland’s most beloved classic songs — in beautiful five-part harmony — including “Danny Boy,” “Whiskey in the Jar,” “The Parting Glass,” and “Wild Rover.”
State Theatre New Jersey, 15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. www.stnj.org.
Princeton Public Library
The library presents a free concert by PULSE: A Celtic Connection on Sunday, March 16, at 3 p.m. in the Community Room.
The band performs a blend of Irish and Celtic tunes, infusing each performance with vibrant rhythms and heartfelt melodies that celebrate the rich heritage of Celtic music.
The band features Peter Jay, fiddle, vocals and harp; Brandon Eaton, guitar; Hudson Brown, guitar and vocals; NICÒ, bodhran, cajon, and vocals; and Luther Case, upright bass.
Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. www.princetonlibrary.org.
Princeton Folk Music Society
Princeton Folk Music Society presents an evening with Poor Man’s Gambit, a Philadelphia-based Irish music trio, on Friday, March 21, at 8 p.m.
The multi-instrumentalist group comprises Deirdre Lockman (fiddle and vocals), Corey Purcell (button accordion, cittern, bodhran, vocals, and dance), and Joseph Carmichael (guitar, whistle, flute, and vocals).
Tickets are $25 for the show that can be heard live at Christ Congregation Church or livestreamed online.
Princeton Folk Music Society, Christ Congregation Church, 50 Walnut Lane, Princeton. www.princetonfolk.org.
