Murphys Irish Day

Pancakes come before bagpipes. On the morning of Murphys Irish Day the breakfast runs from 8:30 to 10:30 at the Open Door UCC, formerly the First Congregational Church of Murphys, a block off Main Street at the corner of Church and Algiers. Main Street has been closed to cars since 6 am. At 11 the parade turns onto Main at South Algiers, beside the Murphys Historic Hotel, and works up to the Big Trees Road intersection. In the Murphys Business Association’s words, “the swirl of bagpipes heralds a parade of marching bands, classic cars, horses, community organizations, novelty entries, and some of the finest children in the land.” Most entries end up back in the Black Bart Theater parking lot, where they formed up that morning.

The festival is held each year on the third Saturday in March in this Calaveras County gold rush town, to honor what the organizers call its Celtic heritage. Admission is free, and it goes on rain or shine. The 2026 edition fell on March 21. The association, which runs it, reports crowds “upwards of 10k” and more than 200 volunteers. It calls Irish Day the premier cultural event in the county, second in attendance only to the county fair. The day is the primary fundraiser for the association and for the Murphys Firefighters Association, and it also raises money for other community projects and nonprofits.

The 2026 grand marshal was Tom Eising, a retired educator and coach. By myMotherLode.com’s account, he coached boys’ and girls’ basketball for 30 years and more than a thousand games. In 2022 the Vallecito Union School District dedicated the Avery Middle School gymnasium to him. “That was really quite an honor,” Eising said. The parade also honored his late wife, Lynne, who was the school secretary at Michelson for 14 years and worked beside him during his short time there as principal. “She always wanted a job that mattered,” Tom Eising said. “When she got into the school, that was real fulfilling for her.”

Two stages and the tallest leprechaun

The music starts at noon. In 2026 Stage One stood at the Murphys Historic Hotel, which the association dates to 1856. The Black Irish Band played there at noon and 1:30, and Plan B played at 3. Stage Two, by the Native Daughters Hall and the Milliaire Tasting Room near Jones and Main, alternated Sequoia and Cooking with Turf through the afternoon. Debora Olguin played at 1 and 2 at the corner of Main and Church, by Hovey Winery. On the street near Newsome Harlow, Jeremiah Johnston juggled at noon and 2, and the Tommyknocker Cloggers danced at 1 and 3. The schedule also listed Rusty O’FlaTTery, “The Tallest Leprechaun in the World,” on the street off and on all day. Jim Lewin and Diana Z played the Murphys Wine Bar lawn from noon to 3, and there was music on the Hovey Winery lawn from 1 to 3. A cornhole tournament ran in the Native Sons Hall from 1 to 5. The Calaveras Visitors Bureau’s description adds bagpipes by the White Hackle Pipe & Drums, pony rides, and Renaissance actors encamped in the park.

About 120 vendors line Main Street between the stages, selling artwork, crafts, handmade clothing, home decor, and treats. The Rotary booth, in front of the Milliaire Tasting Room at 276 Main, paints hair green. The festival sells its own stainless steel beer cups and ball caps in front of the Native Sons Hall. The fire department sells t-shirts and sweatshirts from its booth at Main and Church, near the Hovey Tasting Room. That booth is also the first aid station, and lost children are brought there.

Corned beef at the Native Sons Hall

The Native Sons Hall at 389 Main Street serves corned beef until it runs out. It also serves Irish coffee, which has to be drunk inside the Hall. Street vendors sell corned beef as well. The Murphys Community Park lies about a block off Main on South Algiers, along the creek, with picnic areas and a playground. On Irish Day it sells hot dogs and food for children.

There are three beer and wine booths on the street: one at each end of the event area and one near the Native Sons Hall. A drink may be carried anywhere inside the event boundaries, but not into a business. Sales stop at 4 pm, and no hard liquor is sold on the street. Most tasting rooms, pubs, and restaurants stay open. The visitors bureau writes of green beer and of green wine poured at Irish Vineyards “until it runs out.” It also quotes a woman identified only as Judy, writing on Facebook: “You can be ‘flat-out’ silly and no one thinks you’re making a fool of yourself.” The Native Sons Hall serves another breakfast on the Sunday after.

Parking in town is scarce, and the association steers visitors to free parking at Ironstone Vineyards. A free shuttle runs from there between 9:30 am and 5:30 pm and drops riders behind the Arbors Shopping Area, a short, level walk from Main Street. The association notes the daffodils and other spring bulbs planted on the Ironstone grounds.

The Wee Ones parade, 1993

The association’s account of the beginning is short. In 1993 a group of community-minded merchants decided to celebrate their friends and neighbors in Murphys. The first parade was the Wee Ones parade, made up entirely of local children. It had no announcers and fewer than 1,000 people watching. A few years later the association’s board took over production. A 2017 notice in the Ledger Dispatch said the association puts on Irish Day “with the knowledge that if you visit Murphys once you will return again and again.”

By 2017 the day had grown into a fixed program: breakfast, the 11 o’clock parade, continuous entertainment, and a raffle for a trip for two to Ireland. The raffle carried on for years, with tickets sold at local businesses. The association’s 2026 page read “No raffle this year.”

Snow in 2012, and two empty Marches

The association tells visitors to dress in layers. It says the town often sees sun and rain on the same day, “or even a little snow,” and adds, “We consider a little precipitation to be authentic Irish weather!” The visitors bureau puts the range as a 65-degree day or snow. The association writes that it has never canceled Irish Day because of weather, though very low snow and unsafe conditions could force a cancellation. A myMotherLode.com report from March 2012 tells a different story about that year. The parade, street fair, and music were minimal, and at 3 pm everything was canceled as it began to snow. Parade organizer Bob Reagan said attendance was way down. “After doing so much work organizing the parade… This was the second year in a row the weather was absolutely terrible.” Even so, the fire department had sold out its vendor booths and had a waiting list.

The day was then run entirely by volunteers, and finding them had become a strain. In July 2011, association president Steve Gomez had warned, “If we can’t find people willing to take on these responsibilities, we will have to re-think the event. It will have to be restructured or cancelled altogether.” The 2012 festival was Reagan’s last as organizer and promoter. He handed it to Gerry and Karie Nelson, and he said the event and parade would continue.

On March 11, 2020, the association canceled the 28th annual Irish Day, which had been set for March 21. The day before, Calaveras County had declared a local health emergency after two residents were confirmed with COVID-19. County Health Officer Dr. Dean Kelaita said his office was conferring with state officials about canceling large events. Expecting visitors to come that weekend anyway, the organizers planned hand-wash stations around town, handed out sanitizing supplies, and posted information from the county public health department. Irish Day was canceled again for 2021.

The association has set the next Irish Day for March 20, 2027.