2016 Raglan Road Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival Runs March 11-17, 2016

Never call Ireland’s most famous holiday “St. Patty’s,” and avoid green beer if you want an authentic St. Patrick’s Day experience.  Celebrate as the Irish do during the Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival at Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant in Disney Springs March 11-17.  Award-winning Irish bands and quick-stepping Irish dancers will showcase their roots during Central Florida’s most authentic St. Patrick’s Day celebration that also will feature inventive cuisine by Irish celebrity chef and PBS/Create TV personality Kevin Dundon.

Guests can enjoy a mighty selection of beers, spirits and craft cocktails with Dundon’s authentic Irish dishes while musicians and dancers perform on multiple stages.  Headline acts during the Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival include Irish bands JigJam, The Raglan Roots Coalition, Cooney & Ryan, Avi McGourty and The High Road:

• The Raglan Roots Coalition – 10 years down the road, Raglan felt it was time to shake its boogie – Roots style, with this new Irish house band.  Think soul-rocking Celtic bluegrass with some hip-swingin’, knee-shakin’ funky roots beats, and you’re only halfway there.
• JigJam– The hottest new act on the Celtgrass music scene, this County Offaly, Ireland, trio blend the best of hard-driving American Bluegrass and Irish folk music.
• Cooney & Ryan– One of the finest traditional Irish music duos around, these accomplished, energetic musicians often invite the crowd to sing along.
• Avi McGourty — Award winning singer-songwriter McGourty from County Tipperary, Ireland, is a rising star on the Irish music scene with her soulful lyrics and joyful musical renditions.
• The High Road— These young, traditional Irish musicians who met in University in Ireland exude musical chemistry.  A predominately Irish traditional group, they also play British folk, blues and soul.

St. Patrick’s festivities will include complimentary face painting and giveaways. Mighty Festival hours are 4 p.m.-1:30 a.m. March 11, 14, 15 and 16; noon until 1:30 a.m. March 12 and 13; and 11 a.m. until 1:30 a.m. March 17. The pub opens weekdays at 11 a.m. for lunch and weekends at 10 a.m. for brunch.

If you want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day like the Irish, here are seven fun facts to keep in mind:

1. Never call the holiday “St. Patty’s.”  It’s either “St. Patrick’s Day” or “St. Paddy’s.”
2. A shamrock has three leaves (not four – that would be a clover).
3. Americans invented the St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1737 in Boston.
4. Most Irish pubs do a full month’s business on St. Patrick’s Day.
5. Guinness sells 13 million pints on St. Patrick’s Day versus the usual 5 million daily.
6. Raglan Road is America’s #1 Irish Pub.
7. Green beer is an American invention. Raglan Road does not serve green beer.

Guests can order from Raglan Road’s popular lunch, dinner and bar menus that include new dishes just introduced by Chef Dundon.  The dinner menu features loin of bacon and cabbage, the authentic Irish dish of St. Patrick’s Day, plus other Irish classics created with Dundon’s modern twists. Throughout the event, the restaurant’s Cooke’s of Dublin counter-service eatery will offer Irish favorites, as well, including fish and chips.

On March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, guests will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis with a cover charge of $10 for each guest age 18 and older. Reservations can be booked for other festival days by calling 407/938-0300.

During the festival, Dundon will host an exclusive four-course luncheon and culinary demonstration March 14 and a signature dinner and wine event on March 15. Details are available at www.raglanroad.com.