Kiss me, I'm Irish

How to celebrate St. Patrick's Day all weekend long in Dallas

I gotta say, I’m a fan of most holidays, but one that’s dedicated to drinking copious amounts of beer and whiskey? Well, that’s got a soft spot in my heart and liver.

Great people, the Irish. They’ve got some silly games, but they know how to have some brilliant craic.

St. Paddy’s falls on Sunday this year, but the majority of festivities happen Saturday, because it’s frowned upon in some offices to walk in still stinking of Jameson and Murphy’s.

Without further ado, a round up of this weekend’s events for going green in the best way possible.

Saturday, March 16

Dallas St. Patrick’s Parade and Festival
The name done changed, but the game is still the same. Grab a spot on Greenville Avenue between Wellon Street and SMU Boulevard for the parade beginning at 11 am. Might want to get there a little earlier than that if you don’t want to be staring at the back of green shirts.

Dash Down Greenville 5K
If you feel the need to balance out your debauchery with physical exercise and philanthropy, then the 8 am 5K down Greenville benefiting the North Texas Food Bank should do you right. Entry at this point is $30 through March 14 and $45 on the morning of. This isn’t exactly our cup of tea, but then we’re much more adept at the 20-ounce curl.

2013 St. Patrick’s Day Concert featuring Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg is Irish, right? We know he likes the color green anyway. He’s headlining this post-parade concert at the northwest corner of Greenville Avenue and University Boulevard with gates opening at noon. VIP is sold out, but general admission can still be had for $15 before or $20 at the gate. Bring your green hat.

Sundown at Granada After Party
The whole parking lot and rooftop patio will be nuts from 10 am to 7 pm for just a $10 cover. There will be live reggae music until 7 pm, at which point the party will move inside, because nine hours outdoors is probably enough.

2013 Granada Theater St. Paddy’s Day Party
Because one after party isn’t enough, the Granada Theater is also partying on the patio with Irish music. Get your fill of tacos and brisket sandwiches, plus beer, but go ahead and just assume that beer is going to be present throughout this list. The fun starts at 11 am and goes until the Alt J show at 8 pm.

Trinity Hall Early Opening
So say you wake up early Saturday morning but don’t feel like a 5K. Fortunately for you, Trinity Hall will be wide-awake at 8 am to serve your EPL Soccer and 6 Nations rugby needs. Grab a Guinness and enjoy a crisp, spring morning before things get out of hand.

Goodfriend Parade Party
Goodfriend is kicking off its shindig at noon with live music and drink specials throughout the day. Singer/songwriter Kirby Brown performs two sets at 2 and 8 pm; country band Boys Named Sue goes on at 11 pm. Wear a green Goodfriend T-shirt for special discounts.

The Old Monk
The Old Monk is opening early at 10 am to enable your pre-parade round of merriment, and it would be rude not to oblige them.

The Dubliner
Greenville’s own Irish pub is opening at 8 am because it’s smart. U2 cover band With or Without U2 goes on at 9 pm.

Capitol Pub
This pub opens at 11 am with an Irish breakfast until 3 pm. Boys Named Sue play from 6 to 10 pm, which means that they’ll be nice and warmed up by the time they get to Goodfriend at 11 pm.

Sunday, March 17

Blackfriar Pub, Renfields Corner and Idle Rich Pub
If you’ve still got the spirit when the actual St. Patrick’s day comes, the Irish triangle on McKinney Avenue has got you. Idle Rich’s parking lot party starts at 11 am with traditional Irish pub food, a bagpiper and Celtic rock band The Killdares coming on at 6 pm.

Blackfriar has a patio party beginning at noon with Irish pub food, a bagpiper and Tom Petty tribute band Petty Theft playing at 5 pm. Renfields doesn’t have anything particular going on it seems, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to go to one more Irish pub while you’re in the area.

The Old Monk
Not content to let their brother pubs have all the glory, the Old Monk has Homespun Remedies as well as Irish dancers and a bagpiper. We’re not sure if there’s just one bagpiper running from place to place, but we can’t imagine there are too many well-practiced pipers in Dallas.

The Dubliner
It’s no 8 am, but the Dubliner will be up at 11 am with With or Without U2 from 2 to 6 pm. The Mumbles go on at 8 pm.

Capitol Pub
Also opening at 11 am, Capitol Pub serves an Irish breakfast (which, inexplicably, includes tomatoes) until 3 pm with Seamus Stout performing from 2 to 6 pm. With or Without U2, who will probably be exhausted at this point, goes on at 9 pm.

Get green this weekend with a full slate of St. Patrick's weekend activities, including the annual parade down Greenville Avenue.

Photo by Jerry McClure

Get green this weekend with a full slate of St. Patrick's weekend activities, including the annual parade down Greenville Avenue.

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Texas politics

Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn in Texas U.S. Senate runoff

Photo courtesy of KVUE

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated four-term Sen. John Cornyn on Tuesday, May 26 in a massively expensive, drawn-out U.S. Senate primary race.

Paxton was endorsed by President Donald Trump last week, and his victory showcased the president’s power over his party as he seeks to punish Republicans he sees as insufficiently loyal.

Paxton will run against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November.

Democrats are hopeful that their nominee, state Rep. James Talarico, has a rare opportunity to win a statewide race in Texas — and help the party retake control of the Senate — with Paxton as his opponent.

Tuesday’s runoffs also decided Democratic U.S. House nominees for districts in Dallas and Houston that overwhelmingly support Democrats, and a San Antonio-area seat the party wants to flip.

‘I will be the Democrats’ No. 1 target'
In Austin on Tuesday night, Cornyn gave a short concession speech tinged with emotion to a room of only reporters.

“Tonight we’ve come up short,” Cornyn said, adding that he’d support Paxton in the general election. “I’ve always supported the Republican ticket, and I intend to do so again.”

Cornyn said in 2023 as Trump was running to return to the White House that his time “has passed him by," a statement that came back to bite him. He also was an early critic of Trump’s plan for a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico — a project he now supports.

Cornyn had the backing of Senate GOP leaders who said he would be the stronger general election candidate against Talarico, which was also the senator's argument to voters before Tuesday.

That's not lost on Paxton, who said in his speech that “without a shadow of a doubt, I will be the Democrats’ No. 1 target in November.”

Talarico's campaign hit back Tuesday night on the social platform X, highlighting what they — and some Republicans — see as Paxton's weakness, including an FBI investigation and impeachment for corruption in which he was later acquitted.

The primary was long and costly
Cornyn led Paxton in the March 3 primary but failed to win a majority. That was after Cornyn and his supporters waged a monthslong advertising campaign, mostly attacking Paxton over ethical and personal questions.

The two-term attorney general was acquitted on corruption charges in a 2023 impeachment trial, where allegations of extramarital affairs surfaced. Paxton’s wife filed for divorce last year, citing “biblical grounds.”

It gave Cornyn fodder for an ad campaign that, along with allied groups, spent roughly $109 million between the primary and runoff elections.

Immediately after the primary, Trump promised to endorse but didn’t act until after early voting began last week.

“Ken Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly, but he is a fighter, and knows how to win,” Trump wrote in a social media post endorsing him.

Democrats choose US House nominees
Former Rep. Colin Allred beat U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson in the Dallas-area 33rd District's Democratic primary runoff. Johnson was elected to the seat in 2024, the year Allred lost his U.S. Senate challenge to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Allred was running for Senate again this cycle but dropped his bid and instead sought a return to the House.

Newly elected Rep. Christian Menefee defeated veteran Rep. Al Green in Texas' 18th District, dispatching a longtime House incumbent who was one of Trump's most outspoken critics. The Republican-led Texas Legislature redrew the district when it approved a new House map last year. The new map led to a runoff between incumbents and marks the end of a dizzying series of elections in the Houston area.

Near San Antonio, Johnny Garcia won the Democratic primary for Texas’ 35th District against against Maureen Galindo, a candidate who has expressed antisemitic views. While Texas lawmakers redrew the district to help Republicans, Democrats view it as within reach and didn't want Galindo's past comments to impede them.

Garcia will face Republican Carlos De La Cruz, who defeated John Lujan in the GOP primary.

texas politics