I F*cking Hate St. Patrick’s Day (And That’s Why I’m Grateful)
Author: Greg
March 18, 2025
Let’s get something straight: I’ve got nothing but love for my Irish friends, and more respect for Jameson than I should probably admit.
But St. Patrick’s Day?
Yeah… I kind of hate it.
🥃 Here’s Why:
For well over a decade—somewhere between my 20s and 30s—I spent March 17th knee-deep in the madness of Irish bars.
Not by choice. Not because I love green beer.
But because bartending was the one steady hustle I could always count on while chasing business dreams and stacking multiple jobs just to stay afloat.
And somehow—city after city, gig after gig—I kept landing at Irish bars.
They were profitable. Busy. Chaotic. And if you were a bartender who could handle volume, read the room, and actually give a damn about your cash register? You were golden.
So every St. Paddy’s Day for 12+ years, I clocked in before lunch and stumbled out sometime around sunrise.
☘️ Why It Was the Worst Holiday of the Year
Let me paint the scene.
- Screaming drunks wondering why their beer isn’t green.
- Breakups and makeouts in the same booth—sometimes simultaneously.
- Crying girls. Fighting bros. Shot glasses flying. Bathrooms that make Coachella porta-potties look luxurious.
- Grown men in leprechaun hats trying to climb the bar.
- Servers hammered by 3PM, begging me to do their cash-outs while they take Jäger bombs with table 12.
And there I was—sober(ish), counting everyone’s till, managing thousands in cash, making sure nobody burned the place down, and just trying to survive another marathon shift without decking a guy in a plastic kilt.
🤝 But Here's the Truth...
I’m grateful for it.
Because working in that world—especially on St. Patrick’s Day—taught me everything I know about people.
- Reading the room.
- Adapting on the fly.
- Treating a newlywed, a cheating husband, a crying college kid, and a pair of retired snowbirds with equal care—all at the same bar.
- Learning how to be everything for everyone—without losing yourself in the noise.
The bar business made me fast, sharp, resilient.
It gave me thick skin, soft eyes, and unmatched people skills that translated straight into leadership, sales, and recruiting.
And it paid the bills while I was trying to get real businesses off the ground.
🎯 The Lesson Behind the Madness
Here’s what my mentors taught me:
Work comes first.
The reward comes way after.
You don’t show up to the gym and walk out shredded.
You don’t launch your business and retire by Friday.
You don’t do one shift and earn legacy income.
You grind. You bleed. You get covered in other people’s spilled beer.
And one day, you look around and realize…
You never have to bartend another St. Patrick’s Day ever again.
And that right there?
That’s better than a pot of gold.
🍻 To My Irish Friends
If you’re Irish, know this: I love your culture, your hospitality, your storytelling, and your whiskey.
This post isn’t about hating St. Patrick.
It’s about being free from the version of yourself who had to survive the day, instead of celebrate it.
So this March 18th, I raise a glass—but not in a packed bar wearing shamrock beads.
I raise a glass to growth, to the grind that built me, and to never having to wipe down a puke-soaked bar mat again.
Boom Marketing Group
From the barstool to the boardroom—we never forget where we came from.
And we’ll help you get where you’re going.
-Greg
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