St. Patrick’s celebrations that won’t cost you a lot of green

If the news of this Grand Street Pub Crawl on Saturday whet your appetite for home field drinking this weekend, here are a few more spots that won’t require crossing the East River to get your shamrocks off. While you’re out pretending to be fake Irish this weekend, did you know a wave of actual Irish immigrants helped Brooklyn become the third largest city in the country by 1860? In 1855, a quarter of BK’s residents were from Ireland. To remember those who escaped famine, you can celebrate their triumphs with free corned beef and cheap green drinks (the kind you don’t have to dumpster dive for).

MUSIC

Check out Red Hook’s Rocky Sullivans, the closest Irish pub to Ikea, and headquarters for free music from Scotland’s Stephen Dodds.

Head over to Flatbush/Ditmas Park to the 773 Lounge for free food, craic (pronounced “crack”, and meaning “fun”, as in “smoking this crack is super craic”), cheap drinks, and the music of Irish John Munnelly. What better way to celebrate? He’s got the nationality in his name, for god’s sake!

FREE FOOD

Cobble Hill’s The Brazen Head will be having beer and whiskey specials starting at noon, but more importantly free corned beef sandwiches from 2pm – 6pm. The site says they’re complimentary, too—it’s always nice to hear a kind word when you’re drunk.

CHEAP DRINKS

Project Parlor in Bed Stuy is having an “extra-long” happy hour from 2pm – 8pm, with $4 McSorley’s drafts, $1 off any other green drinks, and free Irish music from 5pm – 4am from Bloodsauce, although I suspect from 2am – 4am it’s just feedback as the singer rolls over in his drunken stupor.

Go shopping!! Antoinette in Williamburg is offering free wine from 12pm-7pm and 10 percent off of everything in the store. This could be the first St. Patrick’s Day you wind up with more clothes than when you started.

TREATING YOUR HANGOVER

Try to re-enter society at Park Slope’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, starting at 1pm at Prospect Park West and 14th St. BYO-Stroller, obviously.

Re-line your stomach and celebrate an obscure holiday at the Brainery! They’ll be hosting a pancake breakfast and craft fair in honor of Buzzard Sunday, which is a tradition in Hinckley, Ohio that has to do with rotting animal carcasses … and the joy of spring! $12 for all you can eat “historic pancakes,” OJ, coffee, and tons of fun tales of scavenger birds.

Check the skint this weekend for even more free/cheap events.

Follow Eric: @Primesilver.