Where to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in Glasgow

Kitty O’Shea’s St Patrick’s Day festivities include live music all day and night, Irish dancers, face painters and even complimentary steak bakes. Previously the team’s even wanted to dye the River Clyde green (unsurprisingly that request was denied)! The bar on the Great Western Road is a top place to watch the rugby and catch a gig year-round. It serves Irish beverages like Franciscan Well Chieftain Pale Ale, Guinness and Open Gate Citra IPA. There are some superb value cocktails too — although be aware that this is a drinking rather than eating kind of establishment.

A Glasgow institution, this venue is housed in an old gothic church, set over three floors. It has nine separate areas and six bars making it somewhat maze-like. Waxy O’Connor’s is the city’s largest Irish bar, so an obvious choice for your St Paddy’s festivities. It’s ideal if you want to indulge in some great Irish food too; diners can tuck into steak and Guinness pie with buttered Savoy cabbage, peas and tarragon fries, an all-day brekkie (which includes soda bread, white Clonakilty pudding and potato scone) and Irish coffee cheesecake with Teeling Whiskey cream and coffee syrup. The bar has regular live traditional music and all the national sporting fixtures shown on the big screen and you can expect more of this on the big day. It’s found right in the centre of the city, at West George Street, so is handy if you’re planning a pub crawl to celebrate.

Jinty’s has been around since the 1990s, nestled in the buzzing Ashton Lane, just off Byres Road. And as it has one of the biggest beer gardens in the West End, it’s the place to be if the sun shines on 17th March (there’s a heated, sheltered Guinness patio too if the weather is inclement and you really want to be outside). The venue always hosts an impressive live music set that lasts all day on St Patrick’s Day, with giveaways and a menu of hearty pub grub provided for hungry revellers. Naturally, it’s the busiest and cheeriest day of the year in the bar. The vibe here is traditional rather than themed and fans of Ireland’s most popular potato chips will be delighted to know that Jinty’s stocks Tayto crisps behind the bar. Live music takes place here seven nights a week and of course St Paddy’s will be no exception.

Held on 17th March, Bongo Bingo comes to Glasgow’s funky warehouse venue, SWG3. Bongo Bingo is a regular event at the venue, but this is a themed special to mark St Paddy’s day in kitsch style. Starting at 6pm with the last entry at 7:30pm, the first game of bingo – with a difference – kicks off at 8pm. Not only will the night include pensioners’ (and cool young things) dabbing game of choice, but there will also be a rave, singalongs, dance-offs, prizes and real cash money to be won, all in celebration of Ireland’s national day. You’ll need to book a ticket, then dress in your finest emerald clobber and get down to SWG3 to party into the wee small hours.

Perhaps you want to mark the day with a little bit of Irishness, but don’t want to go to a dedicated party or Irish bar? Why not tuck into some of Pizza Punks’ delectable doughy creations? They’re a brilliant brand for themes, creating recipes and drinks to mark particular occasions. So keep an eye out on the Punks’ Instagram for St Paddy’s specials.