St. Patrick’s Day is the official day for Americans claiming they’re a quarter-Irish to wear green and make a fool of themselves at the bar. The truth is that the holiday—that baffles the Irish—has always been a little silly. We dug through the archives to see how Angelenos celebrated.
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| A young lady dressed as a four-leaf clover. |
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| Actor Jim Backus and his wife riding in the Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Beverly Hills, March 17, 1985. |
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| Irish bars haven’t changed much. Here bartender Chris Doyle mixes Irish coffee at Tom Bergin’s House of Irish Coffee on Fairfax Avenue on March 16, 1979. |
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| Sharon Tate presents Steve Crane, owner of a Beverly Hills restaurant, with a special St. patrick’s Day Polynesian lei made of white carnations, shamrocks and green cymbidium orchids and a taste of emerald hued Kelly Kalani. March 9, 1963. |
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| Valley ladies make preparations on February 24, 1954: “Leprechauns’ Season — You can’t see them, but the Irish pixies are listening in on plans for the Ebell of Los Angeles art and travel department St. Patrick’s program March 3.” |
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| Mrs. Manley McCallum, of Tujunga, opens box of ‘Luck o’ the Irish’ shamrocks sent to her direct from auld sod of Dublin, Ireland, in time for St. Patrick’s Day. March 17, 1956. |
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| O.J. Simpson was wearing a “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” hat here on from his wife at the time Marguerite on October 16, 1967. O.J. was at USC at the time. |
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| Damien Hanlon, son of Molly Malone’s owner Angela Hanlon, makes drinks at one of the best Irish bars in town — and a friendly neighborhood place for women to hang out. July 23, 1986. |
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| The first St. Patrick’s Day parade in Torrance on March 18, 1967 featured the Irish bagpipe band, the Misintir-na-tire. |
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| Irish pols at Ancient Order of Helieinian’s Luncheon in Baltimore with two Irish wolf hounds on March 17, 1958. From left to right: Dennis Crowley, Ancient Order of Helieinian’s local president; L.A. Councilman Patrick D. McGee; then-Attorney General Edmund G (Pat) Brown. |