I don’t know about you, but I’m from Chicago, and in Chicago St. Patrick’s Day is one of the biggest parties of the year. People all over the city have parties from morning till night. There are two major parades that run through different parts of the city. If the holiday St. Patrick’s Day falls on a weekday, then the city celebrates both the weekend before and the weekend after the actual holiday, plus all the days in between. It’s a little bit like Mardi Gras for the cold weather crowd.

With all the green and gold going around all over the city, it’s hard to really stand out in a crowd of St. Patrick’s Day revelers. What better way to liven up the celebration than with a t-shirt you design yourself just for the occasion? Then you’ll have something truly unique and memorable that you can keep for years to come…and wear on every St. Patrick’s Day, if you want!

A lot of people get big groups of friends together to go celebrate on St. Patrick’s Day. Making matching St. Patrick’s Day t-shirts would be a great way to get geared up for the day and then to keep track of each other on the actual day. One of my roommates from college made t-shirts every year with her friends. They would come up with a design and a clever slogan. For St. Patrick’s Day, you can imagine many images and slogans that would be great. You could go from fact-based, nostalgic slogans like “South Side Parade 2008,” to limericks you write yourself for your t-shirts.

Images that come to my mind when I think of St. Patrick’s Day are things like clovers (with four leaves, of course!), leprechauns, pots of gold, and, of course, beer. If these are the types of images that come to your mind, you’re off and running. Be creative and make a collage of your favorite St. Patrick’s Day images. Or you could use pictures of you and your friends and family on past St. Patrick’s Days. Put those pictures on the front or back of the t-shirt and then add text—like “Happy St. Patty’s Day,” or “Erin Go Bragh!” or “Luck O’ the Irish!” Coming back to the idea of the limerick, you could try your hand at writing those funny, songlike poems that people associate with the Irish holiday.

With your matching t-shirts, you and your friends can do three things. First, you can make a statement on a day when the crowds are huge, loud, and friendly. Second, you can assure that you can always spot each other in the crowds when you need to—make those t-shirts bright and recognizable! Third, you can make your own souvenir of a day you’ll never forget, spent with friends and family. The fun of St. Patrick’s Day can be made even bigger if you plan ahead of time and treat yourself and your fellow partiers with special t-shirts you designed yourself.

Whether you are Irish, have Irish ancestors, or just love St. Patrick’s Day and all the fun it has to offer, an Irish t-shirt is for you. The possibilities are endless.

Lots of people are into genealogy these days. For those who have Irish roots, try a shirt that has your family name and coat of arms on the front. These coats of arms are of high interest, especially for people who really get into the history of their families.

Another option for Irish shirts is the quintessential “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” tee. Seen mostly at St. Patrick’s Day, they are usually green but can be any color. A shamrock is typically seen at the side of this popular saying.

Some folks like to brag about their heritage. Pregnant women can wear a shirt that says “Irish Blessing”. Another one is “Irish to the Bone”, and can show some green skeletons.
Or, you can get one that simply says “Ireland”. It’s your choice!

Young lads and lassies would like to wear their very own shamrock clothes, and maybe would enjoy a t-shirt covered with “leprechaun tracks”. You can even do this one yourself with some green ink and your thumbprint.

Other kinds of Irish tees might have sayings associated with the green isle. For example, “Slainte” is one, as well as “It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere”…alluding to the widely-held belief that the Irish are a great beer-drinking culture. Guinness t-shirts are especially popular, even around St. Patrick’s Day. If you’re heading out for a St. Patrick’s Day parade, try customizing a t-shirt with a graphic of a frosty pint of green beer!

For the person who wants to get more specific in his or her Irish sayings, they can try any number of blessings (and curses) for their t-shirts:

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be ever at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And the rain fall softly on your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”

Another blessing:

May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been,
The foresight to know where you are going,
And the insight to know when you have gone too far.

A final blessing to consider:

May flowers always line you path and sunshine light your day.
May songbirds serenade you every step of the way.
May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that’s always blue,
And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.

And the Curse:

May those that love us, love us,
And those that don’t love us
May god turn their hearts;
If he can’t turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles so
We’ll know them by their limping!

No matter how you want to celebrate being Irish, having Irish ancestors, or the great partying holiday of St. Patrick’s Day, pull on a t-shirt and show that you’re “Proud to Be Irish!”