I always liked the Irish Rovers. As Irish bands go, they were somewhat lightweight and far less prone to delve deeply into the rich cultural history of Gaelic music than, say, the Chieftains.
But they were fun. I especially liked their version of a time-worn ditty called, “Lily the Pink,” a paean to Lydia Pinkham, who “discovered medicinal compound, most efficacious in every way.”
Well, we could use a little of that medicinal compound right about now. Because unless we get some, now, St. Patrick’s Day as we know it is on hiatus.
I say “as we know it” because we all know how we “know it.”
St. Patrick’s Day is not a day to sit at home and listen to Classical music, is it? It’s a day to congregate in a restaurant or a bar, hoist a few glasses of Guinness, maybe share a toast with some good Irish whiskey, and have someone drive you home at the end of the night.
There will be no such gatherings this year, unless they’re all candle-lit dinners in small groups. Gov. Baker officially put the kibosh on large gatherings, especially in restaurants and bars, and who can blame him? Unless you’re a moron of spectacular proportions, you know by now that social distancing may be the No. 1 weapon in fighting this COVID-19 virus.
Tony Nicosia Jr. is certainly down with that. Nicosia, along with his father, owns and operates Tony’s Place on Franklin Street in Lynn. He closed the doors of his establishment — one of, if not the, most popular sports bars and gathering spots in the city — Monday. For now, he’ll be closed for three weeks and, well, we’ll just have to wait and see from there.
“I hope to keep everyone employed,” Nicosia said. “I’ve lined up some odd jobs, like painting and cleaning, work in the bathrooms, I’ve developed a laundry list of things to do.”
He admits this will be a very challenging time. But he also agrees it’s the right thing to do.
“I’m with (Gov. Baker) 100 percent,” Nicosia said. “It’s the right thing to do. But we always think positive. We always keep our heads up. We’re always smiling. Good things will come back to us.”
But having this happen on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day is a double whammy for him.
Last year, St. Patrick’s Day was one of our busiest days,” Nicosia said. “That and Thanksgiving. I think we went through 150 pounds of corned beef last year.”
Events had already put a severe crimp in Nicosia’s business.
“The pub is set up with 30 TV sets, Surround-Sound, and everything. There’s always a game on.”
Except there aren’t any games. And no large gatherings. No drinking. No ritualistic aspects of St. Patrick’s Day.
“It’s going to be hard on all of us,” said Nicosia. “We’ve been open for 50 years, and we’re lucky with the way we’ve run our business, so I hope we can survive this.”
Nicosia hopes to do his part in other ways — such as preparing food and giving it to those who may need it.
Certainly, Nicosia is not alone. St. Patrick’s Day is a festive, highly social holiday where friendly folks gather in function halls and bars, eager to celebrate their heritage with food, drink, music and laughter.
Already that has taken a huge hit. The Friendly Knights postponed last Friday’s dinner, and today’s scheduled St. Patrick’s Day function at Hibernian Hall is off as well.
But take heart, Irish people everywhere. The COVID-19 virus might take away that annual group chorus of “The Wild Colonial Boy.” So you won’t be able to cry in your beer with your buddies during the last verse of “Danny Boy.” And the only wearin’ of the green you’ll be showing off will be at your own dinner table.
But like Tony Nicosia says, we have no choice but to do this, no matter how hard it is.
At this time next year, perhaps we’ll all be drinking a drink to Lily the Pink.
