Of all the holidays in the year, one of the most underrated is Saint Patrick’s Day. While most other festive occasions are all about community andholiday spirit, Saint Patrick’s Day is special for one simple reason: it’s all about just straight up having a good time.
Every year, March 17th is all about beer, shamrocks, getting lucky, and of course, wearing plenty of green. Saint Patrick’s Day offers you a guaranteed great time with no strings attached, unlike many orbiter holidays.
You don’t have to worry about all the excess hoopla and boredom that come with Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or Thanksgiving. Instead, just get out there, have a beer (or four), and party like the Irish!
Of course, just because St. Patty’s is a more low-key holiday doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be looking your best. Even if you’re going to get into some shenanigans that you probably aren’t going to remember on March 18th, you’re still going to want to look as awesome as possible for the drunk photos.
So, without further ado, these are some of the best shirts to wear to show how stoked you are to get lit with your friends on Saint Patrick’s Day.
Before we get started with looking at your St Patty’s fashion options, we should get some context — what really is Saint Patrick’s day? Most people know what to do on that day every year, but relatively few people know why we celebrate it.
While we’re sure you didn’t come here for a history lesson, the story behind Saint Patrick’s Day is actually pretty damn interesting. Plus, knowing the holiday’s history gives you some pretty solid conversation starters while you’re throwing back gallons of green beer with your friends.
Something you probably don’t know is that Saint Patrick’s Day is actually really old… like, really, really old. In fact, people have celebrated this holiday for over a thousand years, with the events leading up to its formation happening in the fifth century.
The namesake of this holiday was a dude who lived in Ireland around the 400s AD who was named (you guessed it) Patrick. While he was born in England, he was actually kidnapped as a teenager and was brought to Ireland to work in forced captivity for several years. Slavery turned out to be a pretty bad gig, so Patrick eventually escaped back to England.
When Patrick returned to England, everything changed for him when he became a man of God. After a few years, according to legend, he felt a calling to go back to Ireland and share his newfound faith with the country of the people who had previously enslaved him.
So, against all odds, Patrick returned to Ireland and brought christianity with him. This led to the spread of Christianity throughout Ireland, and the Irish made Patrick the patron saint to the country as a whole.
He became a missionary hero to the Irish people and was famous for using all kinds of different metaphors to explain the primary tenets and teachings of Christianity. Picture an Irish Yoda who liked Jesus a lot — that was basically St. Patrick.
One of the most famous illustrations that Patrick used when preaching was the Irish clover, or Shamrock, which represented the Trinity. That’s a key part of why shamrocks are so important to the Irish — and why we associate them so much with Saint Patrick’s Day.
So, how did Saint Patrick’s Day go from being a pious holiday all the way to it being the beer-chugging fest that it is today? Well, as all people do, Saint Patrick died, and most people believe that the day he passed on was on March 17th. Around the ninth or tenth century, people in Ireland started using that day to celebrate the memory of Saint Patrick.
The Irish would usually celebrate old Patty with a great feast at their churches and a day to have fellowship and community with their friends and family. However, as time went on, these celebrations grew more and more exciting, eventually evolving into a yearly parade and festival.
Of course, the Irish (and the rest of the world) didn’t stop there, expanding on traditions over the years to make Saint Patrick’s Day what it is today.
Does what people do on Saint Patrick’s Day make the holiday’s namesake roll over in his grave every year? Probably, but that shouldn’t stop you from having a good time — and looking your best while you’re at it.
At this point, you’ve probably seen the classic pot of gold at the end of the rainbow motif everywhere on every St. Patrick’s Day of your life. Think about it, though: if you went all the way to the end of a rainbow, you’d probably be pretty tired. And what’s the best way to celebrate a long journey? Beer.
Gold be damned, there’s nothing like an ice-cold beer at the end of any rainbow.This shirt comes in several different colors, but if you’re truly wanting to display that lucky Irish spirit, try it out in green.
Here at Famous IRL, we have a theory — there’s a direct correlation between how many beers you’ve had and how easy it is to get comfortable. Beer’s uncanny ability to get you feeling loose can result in some pretty extreme outcomes.
Too much booze can even lead to people falling asleep in positions that can’t be comfortable. We’ve all seen someone passed out and looking contorted in a way that you probably didn't even think was possible. We like to call that Irish Yoga, mostly in honor of how you’re probably going to end up after your sixth green beer next Saint Patrick’s Day.
Of course, we offer this shirt in a variety of different colors, but if you’re really looking for the most festive look possible, we’d advise you to try out our green version.
With this particular shirt, you have a couple options. First, you can stow it away in your backpack, purse, or fanny pack, then change into it when you’ve had enough of that green beer.
Or, if you’re feeling confident enough, you might as well just throw it on before you even get to the bar or party that you’re going to for Saint Patrick’s Day. If we’re being honest, the odds are pretty good that you’ll get at least moderately hammered, so you might as well go for gold.
This t-shirt is perfect for a few other occasions throughout the year (imagine showing up to your grandmother’s house on Thanksgiving with this one on). So, we wouldn’t blame you if you got it in a color other than bright Irish green.
Perhaps you fancy yourself an intellectual. Maybe you take pride in the fact that you know the exact primary ingredients found in beer. Maybe you don’t quite know the knitty-gritty facts. Either way, this shirt is for you.
No matter what your motives are, this shirt can help you to show people that you might just know a little bit more about beer than they do. It’s not knowledge that is too useful all the time, but you’d better believe that it’s valuable information on Saint Patrick’s day.
If you’re looking to flaunt your knowledge of the drink that you’re saturating your body with, this shirt is sure to help convince people that you’re the smartest drinker in the room.
Maybe you’ve already got a great green outfit picked out for Saint Patrick’s Day. Good for you for planning ahead! But here’s an even better idea — do you have any idea what you’re going to wear the day after when you’re dealing with the aftermath? Lucky for you, we’ve got a t-shirt just for that!
Explaining away a whole day’s worth of shenanigans after drinking a ton of beer can be difficult. Might as well just give your drunk self the benefit of the doubt and assume the best.
Malarky and shenanigans are like the two most important parts of St. Patricks Day right after alcohol. If you're not having fun and doing weird things with your friends after having a few too many, you didn't really celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
No list of St. Patricks Day t-shirts could ever be complete without mentioning the legend of the Alabama Leprechaun. I know you've seen the news cast, so we won't go into any more detail. Just know that if you wear this t-shirt anywhere, be prepared to have people shouting quotes and references of the viral video from across the bar.
If you’re looking for any other shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts, or other pieces of fresh apparel that help you say exactly what’s on your mind, make sure to pay our shop a visit. We’ve got everything you need to make sure that every day is as iconic as possible, whether it’s a holiday like Saint Patrick’s Day or just another day in the office.
Visit our shop at Famous IRL —after all, a stylish t-shirt is the easiest way to show people how much of a badass you are.
Sources:
Saint Patrick's Day | History, Traditions, & Facts | Britannica
How did Saint Patrick die? | Irish Central
The Ingredients You Need to Brew Beer (and Where to Get Them) | Kitchn