what do the irish eat on st patricks day
Irish people don’t all eat one set “official” meal on St Patrick’s Day, but there are a few classic dishes that pop up again and again in Irish homes and pubs.
The Short Answer
If you ask “what do the Irish eat on St Patrick’s Day?”, the most typical answers in Ireland are:
- Bacon (or ham) and cabbage with potatoes.
- Lamb or beef stew, often with Guinness or stout.
- Plenty of potatoes in different forms: boiled, mash, colcannon, boxty.
The famous “corned beef and cabbage” is actually more Irish‑American than everyday Irish, though it does show up as a festive dish, especially outside Ireland.
At A Glance: Typical St Patrick’s Day Foods
| Dish | What it is | How it’s eaten on the day |
|---|---|---|
| Bacon and cabbage | Boiled bacon/ham, cabbage, boiled potatoes, often parsley sauce. | [1][3]Very common “proper dinner” in Irish homes. | [10][3]
| Irish stew | Lamb or mutton (sometimes beef), potatoes, onions, carrots, long-simmered. | [9][1]Comfort-food main, served with bread or potatoes. | [1][9]
| Beef & Guinness stew / pies | Beef cooked slowly in stout with veg; sometimes baked under pastry. | [7][9][1]Pub favourite and special at-home meal for the day. | [7][9]
| Corned beef and cabbage | Salt-brined beef brisket with cabbage, carrots, potatoes. | [1][7]Staple of Irish‑American St Patrick’s Day; less traditional in Ireland itself. | [4][10][7]
| Colcannon | Mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale, butter, milk, scallions. | [5][1]Side dish with bacon, stew, or corned beef. | [5][1]
| Boxty | Irish potato pancakes, grated and mashed potato fried in fat. | [9][1]Served as a side or with breakfast/brunch. | [1]
| Dublin coddle | Sausages, bacon, potatoes, onions simmered together. | [9][1]Hearty one-pot dinner, especially associated with Dublin. | [9][1]
| Irish soda bread / brown bread | Quick bread with baking soda; often wholemeal, served with butter. | [5][7]With soup, stew, or just butter and jam. | [5][7]
| Irish apple cake | Simple spiced apple sponge or cake, sometimes with crumb topping. | [1]Dessert after the main meal, with cream or custard. | [1]
| Pub-style “comfort” food | Fish pies, lamb pies, stout-braised meats, pub stews. | [7][9]Popular in Irish pubs and restaurants for St Patrick’s menus. | [7][9]
What People In Ireland Actually Cook
On Irish forums, people describe very down‑to‑earth dinners rather than novelty green foods.
Common home meals mentioned include:
- Bacon and cabbage with potatoes and parsley sauce.
- Lamb roast with soda bread or brown bread on the side.
- Lamb or beef stew, sometimes called out as the “safe” choice for everyone.
One Irish blog notes there isn’t a single “official” St Patrick’s Day meal in Ireland; instead, people pick from normal Irish comfort foods they already love.
The Irish‑American Spin
In the US, the answer to “what do the Irish eat on St Patrick’s Day” is often very different, and that has shaped what many people expect.
Typical Irish‑American St Patrick’s Day table:
- Corned beef and cabbage as the star of the meal.
- Sides like colcannon, soda bread, and potatoes in all forms.
- Pub-style dishes: beef and Guinness stew, lamb pies, stout-braised lamb shanks.
Modern recipe collections and YouTube cooking channels push full “feasts” built around corned beef brisket, colcannon, and fresh soda bread, marketed as traditional Irish‑style dinners for the day.
Today’s Trend: Comfort Over Gimmicks
Recent articles and recipe roundups emphasize real Irish and Irish‑inspired comfort food rather than green‑dyed gimmicks, and they highlight that you can cook these dishes any time, not just on 17 March.
Current trends around St Patrick’s Day:
- Focus on classic pub dishes like stews, pies, and coddle.
- Using stout (like Guinness) in stews and pies for a deep, rich flavour.
- Skipping green food colouring and leaning into traditional recipes that Irish pubs and homes serve year‑round.
A very typical 2026-style St Patrick’s Day dinner might be: beef and Guinness stew with mashed potatoes, a loaf of brown soda bread, and an Irish apple cake for dessert.
TL;DR:
In Ireland, people usually eat bacon and cabbage, stews, roasts, potatoes,
and soda bread , not one single mandated meal.
In Irish‑American celebrations, corned beef and cabbage has become the iconic answer to “what do the Irish eat on St Patrick’s Day,” even though it’s more of a diaspora tradition than an Irish law.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.