March is the Time to Participate in Some Irish Revelry in the Chicago Southland

We’re coming up to that time of the year when everyone looks good in green and we’re all a wee bit Irish for a day. Irish music, dance and cuisine will be plentiful in the Chicago Southland during March as we celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Chicago Gaelic Park, an Irish athletic and cultural center in Oak Forest is dedicated to promoting Irish culture through sports, music, dance, theatre and religion. The venue has a number of upcoming events and activities happening to celebrate all things Irish.

On March 1, enjoy the sounds of Celtic Angels Ireland: A History of Ireland. It promises to be an evening of Craic (fun) Ceol (music) and Traidisiún (tradition). The show will include the enchanting harmonies of the Celtic Angels with over 30 traditional and contemporary tunes along with the Dynamic Celtic Knights Dancers. 

Then on March 2, Chicago Gaelic Park will host an Irish Singing Workshop and Concert. Learn the best in Irish song from well-known singing champions. You’ll learn English language songs, Irish language Sean Nos style songs, how to ornament an Irish song and more. After the workshop, stay for a 2-hour concert by the Chicago Irish Singers.

The Annual Ireland on Parade tradition continues March 7-14 with free live music and entertainment. Other fun events will happen during the week with individual admission or ticket fees.

March 9 is South Side Irish Sunday at Chicago Gaelic Park. Start the day with the monthly mass followed by a traditional Irish breakfast with a roaming pipe band rotating through as you eat. Throughout the day there will be entertainment in each room including St. James Gate, Galway Gals, O’ Leary’s Lantern, The Larkin & Moran Brothers and more. Kid activities will include face painting and balloon animals. 

Modern Irish folk group, Onóir, will return to the venue on March 14 to entertain with harmony-focused songs and musical arrangements as part of their new theatre show. 

The big St. Patrick’s Day Sunday Celebration will take place on March 16 at Chicago Gaelic Park. There will be entertainment in each room for the whole family to enjoy plus a visit from the Doonaree Pipe Band. Food will be available for purchase. Cash bar. Grab your tickets online ahead of time at a discounted price.

For a more subdued, yet elegant celebration, plan on attending the St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon at Chicago Gaelic Park, served on March 17. A traditional corned beef and cabbage meal will be served with musical entertainment by the Dirty Wellies and Irish Dancers.

If you’ve never seen a live rugby match, you’ll have a chance on March 2 to watch this sport that is wildly popular in Ireland. Get a ticket and cheer on the Chicago Hounds at SeatGeek Stadium as they take on the New England Free Jacks. If you find you can't get enough you can return on March 15 for another home match, this one vs. Old Glory DC.

Flossmoor Station will be celebrating the luck of the Irish with food specials, including corned beef and cabbage, and green beer from March 14-17.

And if you don’t get enough in March, mark your calendar for two upcoming Irish-themed shows.

On May 10, plan to visit the Dorothy Menker Theater at Moraine Valley Community College Fine & Performing Arts Center for Darrah Carr Dance. World champion Irish dancers Darrah Carr and Niall O’Leary have graced stages across the country and around the world since 1998. The Bessie Award-nominated company Darrah Carr Dance has created a sensational and unique blend of traditional Irish step and contemporary modern dance that you won’t want to miss. The company draws from Irish music, step dance footwork and spatial patterns to create high-energy, rhythmically based work that is accessible to a broad audience.

The Southwest Symphony will present Emerald: Cross Keys and Tchaikovsky at Trinity Christian College on May 10. This season finale concert will feature the Cross Keys Irish Dancers. 

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