Irish for a Day: L.A.'s History of 'Going Green' on St. Patrick's Day
March 10, 1956: Women of local church societies cut out shamrocks in preparation of the annual St. Patrick's Day benefit dance at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in North Hollywood. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
Faith and begorrah! Los Angeles may be more than 5,000 miles west of Dublin, Ireland, but that hasn't kept Angelenos from tipping their green top hats to the old sod — or adopting an honorary Irish heritage — at least for a day.
And that day, of course, is St. Patrick's Day.
Also known as St. Pat's Day, St. Patty's Day and St. Paddy's Day — let's not waste time arguing the finer points of its nomenclature — March 17 has presented an annual opportunity for Los Angeles natives and transplants alike to embrace a certain wistful longing for the Emerald Isle.
And they've expressed it through, of course, wearing lots of green and surrounding themselves with the biggest shamrocks they could find.
If you find yourself wishing for more than pub crawls on the day honoring Saint Patrick — the patron saint of Ireland who, according to legend, banished snakes from the island — here are some celebratory (and costume) ideas from days gone by.
March 17, 1950: The St. Patrick's Day dance of St. Patrick's Church in North Hollywood demanded the "wearin' of green" to demonstrate true Irish heritage. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
February 25, 1959: Adding a frilly border and donning a green top hat were part of the preparations of the Court Saint Anthony Catholic Daughters of America for an upcoming Irish-themed tea. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
Simply finding a four-leaf clover wouldn't be nearly enough if you want to maximize your chances for good luck — as was the tradition to dress up like a shamrock and do an Irish jig, at least once a year! | Eyre Powell Chamber of Commerce Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
February 23, 1961: A toe-tapping rehearsal for the North Hollywood YW Wives Club's 'Shamrocks and Silhouettes' fashion show, which took place in the Van Nuys Knights of Columbus Hall. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
March 17, 1964: Dixie Lee Wood of Mar Vista — who measured 7 feet tall from the top of her green hat to the bottom of her green stockinged feet — appeared at M'Goo's on Hollywood Boulevard for St. Pat's Day. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
March 30, 1972: Then-Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team owner Walter O'Malley threw a St. Pat's party in advance of the first players' strike in Major League Baseball history, which took place from April 1 to April 13, 1972. | Los Angeles Herald Examiner Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
March 17, 1964: Everybody with the right hat on was Irish, as Japanese world flyweight Hiroyuki "O'Ebihara" wished Ronnie "O'Redelsperger" a fistful of good luck in a St. Pat's Day 10-round main event against welter-weight Tony Noriega of Bakersfield at the long-gone Valley Garden Arena in Burbank. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
March 13, 1963: The O'Neill family in North Hollywood would celebrate St. Patrick's Day every year by giving a neighborhood dinner and party with touch of old Ireland, in honor of their Irish ancestry. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
March 15, 1961: Dolores Hart of North Hollywood added a little extra luck to her boys' favorite sugar cookies by cutting them into a shamrock and frosting them with green icing. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
July 23, 1986: Molly Malone's, which was established in 1969 and has been a St. Patrick's Day destination for over 50 years, is still owned and run by the same Irish family. Pictured above is Damian Hanlon, son of then-owner Angela Hanlon. The photo caption describes the pub as "one of the best Irish bars in town — and a friendly neighborhood place for women to hang out." | Los Angeles Herald Examiner Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
March 16, 1979: Tom Bergin's House of Irish Coffee, on Fairfax since 1948, still serves up quite the Irish coffee every day of the year, just as Dublin-born bartender Chris Doyle did with a smile from 1976 to 2012. Sláinte! | Los Angeles Herald Examiner Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
March 15, 1956: Actress Irish McCalla — who portrayed television's Sheena, Queen of the Jungle from 1955-6 — may have been born in Nebraska, but for this photo she lived up to her name to proclaim "Erin Go Bragh" ("Ireland Forever") in commemoration of the coming St. Patrick's Day holiday. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
