This weekend, Irish pubs at CityWalk and Downtown Disney Pleasure Island will host “Halfway to St. Patty’s Day” events.

At Raglan Road at Pleasure Island you can gulp down a pint, groove along to a U2 cover band, enjoy some Irish folk dancing, and feast on fish and chips on both Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15. The event starts at 11 a.m. each day, though if you arrive after 9 p.m. you will have to pay a $5 cover charge because that’s when the U2 cover band takes the stage (prior to 9 p.m. you can still enjoy Raglan Road’s house band for free). Raglan Road offers up great atmosphere (the restaurant features wood shipped here from Ireland and the beauty shows), and this U2 cover band is considered by many fans to be among the very best. The food is tasty, but pricey - you’ll soak in the beauty of the place but you’ll definitely feel like your bill covers more than a bit of the cost of those amazing stained glass windows. Costly or not, no night at Raglan Road is complete without sampling their to-die-for bread pudding. Even if you think you don’t like bread pudding, trust me that you’ll adore this one.

On Saturday night only, starting at 4 p.m., Pat O’Brien’s at Universal CityWalk will offer up green beer, live rock music, Hurricane and Fuzzy Shamrock drink specials, as well as traditional Irish food and drink. This “Halfway to St. Patty’s Day” option requires an admission ticket of $8 plus tax ($20 plus tax for VIP admission that includes a few extra perks). If you’re looking for a party atmosphere in which to celebrate this “almost” holiday you’ll certainly find a great bit of Irish celebration here.

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