Here's a list that can make St. Patrick's Day fun without ever darkening the doorstep of your local pub.

It's really not that hard to leave the Guinness alone for just one day and celebrate being Irish in other ways!

Here are some ways to enjoy a sober St. Patrick's Day:

Curl up at home with a classic Irish movie

'The Quiet Man'

'The Quiet Man'

Be it 'The Quiet Man,' 'My Left Foot,' or even more modern films like 'Sing Street' or 'The Young Offenders,' you can bring a bit of Ireland into your living room this St. Patrick's Day.

Cook bacon (or if you're Stateside, corned beef) and cabbage for you and your beloved

Bacon and cabbage

Bacon and cabbage

When they came off the ships, bacon and cabbage was the staple diet of the shanty Irish. Tasted good then, and tastes good now.

Watch some Irish television

(Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Catch up on what is happening in the Emerald Isle on RTE's International Player.

Read 'How the Irish Saved Civilization' by Thomas Cahill

This will fill you in on the real St. Patrick and the incredible job he did in converting the Irish back in the fifth century.

Try to learn Irish, the language of your forebears

Get chattin' (Getty images)

Get chattin' (Getty images)

Lucky for you we have a foolproof guide to get you started for free. 

Research your Irish surname

Here's a good place to start - The top 300 Irish family names explained.

* Originally published in 2013, last updated in February 2023.

How will you be spending this St. Patrick's Day? Let us know in the comments!

St patricks day facebook
IrishCentral St. Patrick's Day Celebrations

Celebrate everything Irish this March with IrishCentral's global community.