Feature

Sober St. Patrick's Day Activities

Seeing green is a lot better than feeling green, but staying straight doesn't have to mean opting out. Below, our St. Paddy's Day answers to First Night.

By Boris Kachka

1. The Kings of the Kilburn High Road
Gabriel Byrne helped bring Jimmy Murphy's dark play -- five Irishmen mourn a friend at an English pub -- from London, where it played to acclaim. (Opens March 17; Irish Arts Center, 553 West 51st Street; 212-757-3318.)

2. Irish New York Tour
You can see Hell's Kitchen on your own. But historian Francis Morrone knows where Old St. Patrick's Cathedral is (Mulberry Street), not to mention the long-gone Five Points and other Irish-culture hotbeds. (March 17 at 11 a.m., 212-415-5500; $20.)

3. "Beyond the Blarney"
Novelists Colm Tóibín and Emer Martin, the Observer's Terry Golway, and Irish America author Maureen Dezell try to smash a few stereotypes in a spirited panel. (March 13 at 6:30 p.m., New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street; 212-930-0855; $10.)

4. One and One
Former Tramps owner Terry Dunne's spot offers a special Irish breakfast packed with sausage and two puddings -- don't think about it, just eat. For dinner, it's fish and chips, cabbage, and more. If your day isn't completely dry, this place is famous for a perfect Guinness. (March 16 and 17, 76 East 1st Street; 212-598-9126.)

5. Film Fleadh
The following weekend, this annual festival has documentaries about Shane McGowan and Father Mychal Judge, and a political movie made by a 13-year-old. (March 21 through 24; NYU Cantor Center, 36 East 8th Street; 212-966-3030, extension 405; $7-$20.)