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OMAHA — A cheaper pint of Guinness, an extraordinary share of Irish descendants and Irish-flavored Google searches helped land Omaha on a Top-10 list of best American cities for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.
Omaha ranked No. 9 in research by DuelBits, an online crypto casino and sportsbook, which analyzed the 100 most populous U.S. cities against seven different Irish-themed factors. The mission: to find the best places to party on the day commemorating the patron saint of Ireland, who is credited with helping to spread Christianity.
The March 17 observance of St. Patrick’s Day has become a largely secular holiday, but its origins are religious. Christians in Ireland began observing the feast day around the ninth and 10th centuries, according to History.com, which notes that on that day, Lenten prohibitions were waived, people danced, drank and feasted on Irish bacon and cabbage. Traditions later carried over to America, which added modern-day parades, green beer and more.
DuelBits researchers said they looked at various sources to find out whether a city hosts a St. Patty’s Day parade, the number of bars per 100,000 residents, the average price of a pint of Guinness, percentage of population with Irish heritage, Irish-themed Google searches per capita, the number of casinos and average hotel prices across the holiday weekend.
To be sure, Irish ties in Nebraska extend beyond its largest city, Omaha. The Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature this year proposed a state law to create a Nebraska-Ireland trade commission.
Speaker John Arch of La Vista, a city within the Omaha metro area, touted the state’s cultural and business bonds with Ireland. He made Legislative Bill 1087 his priority bill. The familiar Irish name of State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha is a co-sponsor.
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The DuelBits findings showed Omaha with an overall index score of 7.91 out of 10. That puts Omaha above cities such as Minneapolis, Chicago and Kansas City and below cities such as Las Vegas, New Orleans, Denver and No. 1 Atlanta.
Among the researchers’ commentary about Omaha’s Irish influence:
- On Saturday, March 14, Omaha hosts its 148th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, which is expected to draw a large crowd.
- The city reportedly has 19 bars per 100,000 residents, equating to choice for thirsty green beer revelers.
- Omahans can expect to pay $6.40 for a pint of Guinness, which the researchers said is $2 cheaper than the national average, making Omaha “the most affordable city to enjoy a celebratory Guinness in the U.S.”
- Nearly 13% of Omahans have Irish heritage. According to the researchers, which looked at Census data for that tidbit, that’s the fourth-highest share of cities the company checked out.
- Omahans made 90 Irish-themed Google searches per 10,000 residents each month, including “whisky,” “Guinness,” “St. Patrick’s Day” and “flights to Ireland.”
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