Massachusetts claims the highest percentage of Irish ancestry in the United States, coming in at right around 21.2%.
Saint Patrick’s Day is coming up – the day where everybody is a little Irish. That got us thinking: but who is actually the most Irish. In a state full of Irish Pride this is sure to ruffle some feathers.
Quick side note – I actually thought I was heavily Polish in my genetic make-up. Enter 23 And Me to screw that all up! I took their test and as it turns out, despite what my family had believed and passed down for generations, we’re actually mostly Irish. I guess Massachusetts finally rubbed off on me and changed my genes. I’m kidding. But I always loved St. Patrick’s Day, listened to Black 47, enjoyed corned beef more than most year-round, and have an uncanny knack for step dancing after a couple cocktails… so it all makes sense.
So here’s how we’re going to do this: I’ll count down the 5 “most Irish” towns in Massachusetts. I keep putting quote marks on “most Irish” because I feel like it’s a misleading term but it’s all we got. We’ll use the latest census data available (it’s dated, from 2010) to find the towns with the highest percentage of Irish residents. This is the same way it’s been determined that Massachusetts is the “most Irish” state so I guess we’ll follow suit with that game plan.
I’ll include the town, the percentage of Irish residents who live in that town, and (if available) the best Irish Bar or Restaurant in that town. Sound good?
ALSO: Massachusetts was just named as one of THE BEST places to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Check out how high we rank RIGHT HERE!!
These are the 5 Most Irish towns in Massachusetts!
#5. AVON
Avon is the 5th Most Irish town in Massachusetts. 44.9% of Avon’s residents are Irish. Unfortunately I’m not coming up with ANY Irish restaurants or bars in Avon. Is that true?!?
#4. MARSHFIELD
Marshfield is the 4th Most Irish town in Massachusetts. 45.6% of the people who live in Marshfield are Irish. When searching for Marshfield’s best Irish spot, Scituate kept coming up. It’s a short drive from Marshfield to Scituate where you’ll find the beloved The Voyage, which is a great Irish bar and restaurant.
#3. HULL
Little ol’ Hull is the third Most Irish town in Massachusetts. 45.8% of Hullonians are Irish. While there aren’t any actual Irish Pubs in Hull, The Parrot is owned by Brian Hoolihan. He’s Irish and owns the Tinker Son as well. That’s good enough to make The Parrot the best Irish spot in Hull, for this article anyway.
#2. BRAINTREE
Braintree is our runner-up! It’s the 2nd Most Irish town in Massachusetts. In Braintree 46.5% of residents are Irish. Again, Yelp lists no Irish bars or restaurants in Braintree. The shortest drive for a good Irish spot would be McSwiggan’s Pub, which gets pretty great reviews in Weymouth.
#1. SCITUATE
Scituate is the Most Irish town in Massachusetts! What big (and frankly surprising to me) news! I live in the South Shore and I know we have a ton of Irish residents – but – I didn’t realize that Scituate has the highest percentage of Irish residents. 47.5% of Scituate residents are Irish.
Scituate isn’t only the Most Irish town in Massachusetts. According to the 2010 census, Scituate is the Most Irish town in the entire United States!! Wow!
Go to The Voyage in Scituate. It’s great.
