Shamrock Pub celebrates St. Patrick’s Day

Patrick Dinneen moved to Sarasota four years ago from Melrose, Iowa, known as “Iowa’s Little Ireland.”

On Saint Patrick’s Day, he headed to Shamrock Pub, an Irish-themed establishment and a popular spot for celebrating the occasion.  

“It means a lot for tradition for me, because I’ve got such Irish roots…” he said of the holiday, noting his grandparents came from Ireland. “I always celebrate this day. Now that I’m here, I miss celebrating it back home in Melrose.”

The pub’s owner, Derek Anderson, said as of last year, he decided to downsize and not hold the large block parties he had in the past, despite a positive relationship with the City of Sarasota. 

However, he said this year’s four-day party, which started Friday and continued into Monday, which was St. Patrick’s Day, was the longest in Sarasota. He said the scaling down of the party has resulted in a different experience.

“It’s more intimate, more local, we get a little more one on one with our customers,” he said.

The party kicked off Friday and featured dancers from the Irish dance school Kavanagh Porter Academy on three out of four days, as well as musicians, bagpipe players and a limerick contest.

“Everyone makes a pilgrimage, everyone’s Irish for a day,” Anderson said. “Some customers I see only once a year, and that’s on Saint Paddy’s Day.”