BUFFALO, N.Y. — Downtown Buffalo's Irish-owned, Irish-operated pub opened at 9 am. Friday for its St. Patrick's Eve Eve Party.
"Everything here is from Ireland," owner Conor Hawkins said "Some of the staff are from Ireland."
It goes without saying it's the busiest weekend of the year.
"For the month of March, we're probably going to go through 100 kegs of Guinness," Hawkins said. "This weekend we'll probably go through about 55-75 kegs of Guinness."
John Wingfelder got there early to secure a large table in front of the live musician playing Irish tunes.
"It's a tradition," he said. "A group of friends who aren't here yet always get together on the Friday of St. Paddy's Day, and have a nice beer lunch and try to find a place with music."
For some, St. Patrick's Day lunch is a time to reminisce.
"My father would love green beer," Kelly Renaud said as she ate with her co-workers. "He would go to the bar every St. Partick's Day, and my mom would make beer bread, and she would color it green, so it was always green beer and always the beer bread."
From here it's a three-day marathon to Sunday night.
"It's a bit of a bummer this year because we don't have St. Patrick's Day on like midweek, a Wednesday or a Thursday, when it would be really crazy for us," Hawkins said. "With St. Patricks Day falling on parade day we lose a little, but it's still going to be a fun time."
So whether you're Irish or just Irish on St. Patrick's Day, Hawkins encourages everyone to celebrate his home country this weekend in whatever way they can.
"Enjoy your Irish beverages, support Irish products, support a great Irish bar that's irish owned," he said. "Go out and see the parade. Support our Irish culture. It's a very big day for us. It's a day that I get a little choked up about, because I see a vast amount of people wearing green, and it makes me very very proud."