Drowning the Shamrock? The Gaelic League and the War on Pubs

In 1903, Saint Patrick's Day formally became a national holiday in Ireland, following a push from the Gaelic League. In the pages of their newspaper, An Claidheamh Soluis, a battle was waged for the closure of public houses on the day. Some publicans stood in opposition to this. This is the story of how a sober St Patrick's Day was achieved, and how it would take until the 1960s for change.

You can listen to Drowning the Shamrock? The Gaelic League and the War on Pubs online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Drowning the Shamrock? The Gaelic League and the War on Pubs is an episode from Three Castles Burning by Donal Fallon.

This episode is 29:59 long.

This episode was published on Mar 16, 2026.

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