Gloucester City 2009 Shamrock Festival: This annual event takes place noon-7 p.m. Saturday, September 19, at Proprietor’s Park and Marina—with its pretty Delaware River views. Expect a lot of people, a lot of beer, and Blackthorn, a popular regional Irish band. This is an all-ages festival, though adults will be charged $5 to enter the Music & Beer garden.
North Wildwood Irish Weekend: This can be a long, crowded and, for most people, drunken affair. But it’s spread through all the bars in North Wildwood, so if one place gets too noisy, you can move on. The festival runs September 24-27. If you’re not so much into the drinking end of things, there is a great Irish craft show and a parade with Clydesdales.
Sea Isle City Irish Weekend: Sea Isle won no love from North Wildwood for planning its relatively new Irish Weekend the same time as their neighbors further south, but if you’d like a less crowded Shore festival, this might be worth checking out. Events run September 25-27. Expect live Irish music, a craft fair and, of course, bar specials.