St. Patrick's Day

(Newser) - A St. Patrick’s Day parade set for today in Northern Ireland was canceled amid growing tensions, reports the Times of London. Loyalist leaders have been nervous about reprisals in Lurgan, where a police officer was shot dead by an Irish republican paramilitary last week. Graffiti in a loyalist area...

(Newser) - University of Illinois officials will search students’ backpacks and confiscate containers they suspect might contain alcohol during tomorrow’s “Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day,” the Chicago Tribune reports. Students typically pack campus bars for green beer as early as 8am, and some take drinks to class. “It...

(Newser) - That annual Guinness-fueled serenade led by green-hat-and-bead-clad Yanks wearing "Kiss me, I'm Irish" pins won't be heard at Foley's Pub in New York today; barkeep Shaun Clancy has banned the maudlin lyrics of "Danny Boy" during the month of March, and especially on St. Patrick's Day. "Everybody...

(Newser) - This year’s calendar sees St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) falling during the week preceding Easter, which has caused most organizers to move parades forward to avoid forcing Irish Catholics to choose between heritage and the church's Holy Week, the Boston Globe reports. South Boston planners, however, refused to...