Celebrate the Wearin’ of the Green at a Bed & Breakfast or Country Inn with an Irish Flair

By Shirley Anitra Swagerty

Erin Go Bragh! That phrase literally means, Ireland Forever!  Those words strongly represent Ireland on flags and banners, yet in a popular old Scottish song it tells of a Highland Scot mistaken for an Irishman. Well, it is no mistake that every year St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in bed and breakfasts and country inns all over America. Brought to the United States by Irish-American immigrants, the first civic and public celebration was held in Boston on March 17, 1737.

American Historic Inns and ILoveInns.com have found a variety of festivities being held at inns around the country. So whether you are in Ohio, Pennsylvania,  Maryland, or Minnesota…from New York to California, innkeepers and guests alike at these B&Bs will be found wearing green!

A special menu will feature Irish foods at Fairfield Inn in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Sip a glass of stout in the tavern and celebrate the day. Gather for breakfast each morning, and take a two-hour Gettysburg battlefield tour featuring the March of the Irish Brigade.

Stay in Annie Murphy’s Room with a fireplace at  The Cornelius Daly Inn, near the Pacific Ocean and the majestic Redwoods in Eureka, California. Let the Irish innkeeper know in advancce and invite your friends for Irish coffee and a hearty breakfast.

This year the annual Beer Dinner with international beer pairings will be served on March 20, 2009 in Havre De Grace, Maryland at the Vandiver Inn. This a very fun but elegant way to celebrate with a terrific menu, all cooked by chef and owner Susan Muldoon and paired with lagers, ales and other beers.

Located in Stillwater, Minnesota, the historic Water Street Inn will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the annual six-course Irish Whiskey Tasting Dinner & Smoker on March 12, 2009. Listen to live Irish music in Charlie’s Pub on Saturdays and Sundays from 7:30-11:30.

Will chants of Erin Go Bragh linger in your mind and leave you longing for more? Experience the luck of the Irish anytime at these three inns:

Be immersed in all things Irish at Innisfree-A Celtic B&B in South Bend, Indiana. Terry and Cindy Lewis offer a package available all year-round called The Total Irish Experience that includes dinner at Fiddler’s Hearth, an authentic Irish pub, and a stay in one of the B&B’s inviting Celtic-themed guest bedrooms.

Stay in the Emerald Room at a Wicher Garden Inn in Auburn, New York. An Irish carved mahogany bed and mementos from the Emerald Isle are accented by hunter green and lace. Photos of Ireland adorn the walls. Relax in the deep soaking tub with arm rests.

Debra and Tom Fitzgerald extend a touch of Irish hospitality at their award-winning Fitzgerald’s Irish Bed & Breakfast in Cleveland, Ohio. Feel immersed in the castle-like Tudor architecture with a stone and brick turret, listen to Irish music and stay in a guest bedroom named after places in Ireland portrayed in artwork adorning the walls. Dunk fresh-baked scones in shamrock teacups. Waterford crystal, Royal Tara china and Belleek pottery add to the ambiance and a fiddle made in Ireland by a great-great grandfather has a place of honor.  Still want more? Join other guests who travel to Ireland on tours with Tom and Debra in the spring and fall.

Many of the properties listed above are also in the best-selling bed and breakfast guidebook Bed & Breakfasts and Country Inns with Buy-One-Night-Get-One-Night-Free Certificate. To learn more about the guidebook as well as additional Inns of interest, browse our site.