Local pub celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with a week’s worth of events
From March 12 through March 22, Irish Haven (5721 Fourth Avenue), Sunset Park’s center for Irish culture, is hosting a slate of events to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Matt Hogan has prioritized St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, along with year-round musical performances and community events, since taking over ownership of the bar in 2011, after taking over from the Lawler family, the original owners since 1964.
Covid slowed down programming for several years, but over the past year Hogan has worked to revive the bar’s events calendar. Recently, Irish Haven has hosted musical acts across genres, holiday celebrations, and even Irish language classes. Hogan also opens the space to independent and young filmmakers, provided they’re respectful of the bar’s history and patrons. The establishment has previously been used by major productions, including the 2006 film The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese.
The St. Patrick’s season informally began on Feb. 7, when Irish Haven hosted the kickoff party for the Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade itself will take place on March 22.
But beginning March 12, Hogan said, “we’re in full St. Patrick’s Day spirit.”
Schedule of events
Thursday, March 12: Seanchaí, described by Hogan as an “Irish language resistance music band,” performs in the evening.
Friday, March 13: Niall Connolly, an Irish musician who regularly sells out venues in Europe, performs original Irish-influenced music. The Friday night booking, Hogan joked, is partly because “he also happens to be my friend.”
Sunday, March 15: While no official event is scheduled, Hogan encourages parade-goers from the Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Windsor Terrace to stop by if they’re looking for a low-key bar to hang out.
Monday, March 16: A freeform bluegrass session open to all ages and skill levels.
Tuesday, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day): An all-day celebration. From 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., patrons can grab a $5 pint of Guinness on their way to the Manhattan St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The festivities continue throughout the day, with the parade playing on television, visiting bagpipers performing live, and corned beef sandwiches with cabbage served in-house. The space remains all-ages until about 8 p.m., when the bar becomes 21+ only.
Sunday, March 22: Irish Haven will be a more low-key spot to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day for those participating in or attending the Bay Ridge Parade. According to Hogan, “It’ll be a lot easier to get a seat at our place than anywhere else.”
A neighborhood staple and place of connection
Hogan first discovered Irish Haven years before becoming its owner. There, he found a close-knit group of friends spanning generations, from their early 20s to their late 80s.
“Irish Haven was a place where Albanians, Slovakians, Puerto Ricans, Norwegians, and of course Irish people all came together,” he said.
Through his stewardship of the decades-old gathering place, Hogan hopes to preserve that spirit of inclusivity.
“We have parents come in and set up their strollers in the back all the time,” Hogan said. “It’s a comfortable place.”