St. Patrick’s Day is by far one of my favorite holidays of the year. Not since New Year’s is there another holiday that is so simply about the act of getting hammered and, let’s face it, one supremely inebriated holiday a year just really isn’t enough.

There is no shortage of great irish bars in Chicago, and I am sure you all already have your favorites. I will be heading out to Mulligan’s on Roscoe and Damen because they are one of the few places in the city that has Smithwicks (pronounced Smith-ix) on tap (which is the second greatest Irish beer in the world after Guinness, and maybe the greatest if you prefer a lighter beer).

Now is time to dispell a couple of rumors about St. Patrick’s Day.

The Irish don’t really eat corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day. The Irish-Americans really do eat corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day. Why? Because bacon was too expensive 100 years ago.

The Green Chicago River idea may have been lifted from Savannah.

The Irish don’t even really celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Only recently has it become a tourist trap. When I was in Ireland 3 years ago, I was informed that if you really wanna see Ireland go apeshit, come during Easter. They are all about Easter.