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20 Questions from Irish Loving Richmonders

In honor of St. Patrick's Day we're doing something a little different for "20 Questions." Instead of asking one person 20 questions, we asked 20 people one question -- "What does St. Patrick's Day mean to you?"

We asked Irish pub owners, the organizer of the Irish Festival and as many Richmonders as we could find but we still want to hear from you. Tell us, Richmond, what does St. Patrick's Day mean to you? Just leave your answer in the comments section below.

John O'Toole, owner of O'Toole's Irish Pub , Westover Hills

"It's a time when our family gets together."

Jennifer Sorey, Hanover

"It is really about drinking green beer, and having a great excuse for drinking it."

Chris Reitmeier, Stratford Hills

"It means watching my friend don a 40 year old green blazer and madras shorts, his face beat red and his teeth green from the dye in the 17 green Miller Lites he's had since noon."

Tim Green, Northside

"It means lots of people will find out they don't like Guinness."

Bob McNulty, general manager Sin é Irish Pub & Restaurant

"What it means to me personally, and as an Irish pub owner, is St. Patrick's Day is a great day to get together with friends and celebrate St. Patrick. As the old Irish saying says, there are no strangers just friends you haven't met yet."

Amy Harris, waitress, the Fan

"It means lots of money!"

Sean Vass, Varina

"I'm somewhat Irish and it doesn't mean anything to me."

Lisa Overton, local realtor

"It means you have wear green, drink beer (green of course) and it also brings a shed of HOPE for some luck in the real estate market."

Stokes McCune, organizer of the St. Patrick's Church Irish Festival

"St. Patrick's Day to me, is a celebration of Irish heritage and Irish culture. It also means that the Church Hill Irish Festival is right around the corner."

Cy Post, Carillon area

"St. Patrick's Day is a great time to get together with your friends. And it allows you to pick a theme depending on what you want to do. Do you want to do family-oriented activities or do you want to go out and get some drinks with your friends and probably make new friends? I fall into the latter category, and my friends and I start early and end late. The real focus is just to get together ... beer is the catalyst!"

Ben Bemis, West End

"It means the following day I'll have a hangover (it's really St. Hangovers' Day)."

Todd Jameson, the Fan

"It means wondering why Savannah has the largest St. Patrick's Day parade."

Mike Britt, owner of Poe's Pub

"It just a great time of year to get together with family and friends and see people you don't get to see all year. Everyone, of course, wants to be Irish on St. Patrick's Day and we [who are Irish] get to celebrate our heritage."

Carol Anne Baker, Forest View Heights

"I know St. Patrick's Day is a religious celebration but it makes me think of Ireland in more of a political context -- their War for Independence from the UK (early 1920s) and the eventual creation of "Northern Ireland" and "The Irish Free State" -- and the subsequent political unrest that endured long past the "end" of that war. It makes sense to draw parallels from our own Revolutionary War and the true meaning of self-rule and freedom from tyranny. Besides, everyone knows there were no snakes to be driven from Ireland! That was a euphemism for the Catholic banishing of paganism from Ireland. If you're going to drink green beer, at least have a toast to pagans and revolutionaries!"

Jenny Warner, Chesterfield

"It means being harassed at work for not wearing green."

Christie Newman, Near West End

"St. Patrick's Day is the one day a year that people drink green beer, pretend they're Irish and dress up like Kermit the frog, with flair!"

Lauren Eubank, the Fan

"Green beer, jolly music and dancing around like a leprechaun with no one judging."

Deborah Briggs, Goochland

"Hanging out with my husband and friends and of course, drinking GREEN beer."

Tim Johnson, Sandston

"I think it's about leprechauns."

Meg Brackett, the Fan

"It means going to an awesome party in Savannah."