By Sarah Sussman
While many people associate St. Patrick’s Day with pints of beer and cheeky leprechauns, the annual holiday is a very important celebration and recognition of the Irish culture. This year familiarize yourself with Calgary’s rich Irish culture by checking out these hot spots for dining, recreation, business development, shopping and more. [Photo credit: Sarah Sussman]
Calgary’s hub for Irish culture and events, the Irish Cultural Society of Calgary (ICS) has been serving the city’s Irish community for more than three decades. The ICS logo features a Celtic knot from the Book of Durrow with no beginning and no end, which is meant to symbolize ICS’ longstanding ties to Ireland.
In addition to hosting pub nights, concerts and celebratory events, the organization also offers classes and recreational opportunities. Irish language classes are offered weekly and are free for all ICS members. The Society also offers traditional Irish music lessons with a specialty in traditional Irish guitar lessons. If you prefer singing, the ICS also has its own choir which performs at various events throughout the year and are always looking for new members.
For those looking to get involved in Irish athletics, the ICS has a hurling (Gaelic football) league available for youth to join, with training every Wednesday evening. ICS membership fees are $25 per person or $35 for a family with two adults and all children under the of 16. The Calgary Canadian Irish Athletic Club also has rugby leagues for men, women and children.
One of Ireland’s tastiest culinary offerings, boxty is a spud-laden comfort food served up on the menu of most traditional Irish pubs. The dish combines grated and mashed potatoes, which are then mixed in with any number of batters to create either a potato pancake, dumpling or bread. Head to the James Joyce downtown for a traditional Irish boxty served with your choice of curried chicken, steak and Guinness or vegetarian curry. Fionn MacCools (which has two Calgary locations) offers both a butter chicken boxty and a Guinness steak and mushroom boxty on its menu. The potato pancakes are made in-pub and served up alongside a market green salad.
Since Guinness is one of Ireland’s most important claims to fame, make sure you check out one of the Calgary restaurants with menu items that put the spotlight on the stout. The James Joyce offers up Guinness onion rings on its appetizer menu which are served with a delicious chipotle mayo dip. The Dog & Duck pubs serves it up in a fat stout onion soup, baked with Swiss and parmesan cheese. Craft Beer Market showcases Guinness on its dessert menu by serving it up with Fiasco vanilla gelato as a Guinness Float. Eau Claire’s Barley Mill pub also serves Guinness on its dessert menu by throwing it into a chocolate cheesecake with black cherry coulis and rich Lindt chocolate.
Calgary is home to a handful of hidden gems that sell traditional Celtic goods, Irish imports and more. Located on 17th Avenue, The Scottish Shoppe is most well-known for its extensive offering of Scottish kilts, paraphernalia and imported foods. But the store also specializes in Irish imports and hard-to-find Irish sweets and treats. If you look at the shop’s storefront sign, you’ll notice that it actually says "The Scottish Shoppe & A Little Bit of Ireland."
Owned by local pipers Bill and Jeanie Hawes, the Highland Shoppe is another great speciality Celtic store in Calgary. While the store doesn’t carry food products or sweets, it does boast an incredible selection of tradition Celtic jewellery and giftware including engagement rings, pendants, earrings, pocket watches and more.
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A very important platform for business professionals in both Calgary and Ireland, the Ireland-Canada Centre for Commerce Calgary was established as a platform to promote collaboration between Irish and Canadian business leaders, strengthen business and trade relations and foster a better economic relationship between the two countries.
The Centre regularly hosts networking events, luncheons and guest speaker events for those with a vested interest in business or entrepreneurial efforts involving Canada and Ireland. Membership is $100 for an individual, $250 for up to 10 employees and $500 for more than 10 employees. You can also offer your time as a volunteer at one of the Centre’s many events.
In addition to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this year with a pint of Guinness, take some time to familiarize yourself with the Irish-Calgary community and explore some of small businesses and organizations dedicated to promoting and fostering growth within our local Irish community.
