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Weird And Wonderful Ways Angelenos Used To Celebrate Their Irish Heritage
St. Patrick's Day is the official day for Americans claiming they're a quarter-Irish to wear green and make a fool of themselves at the bar. The truth is that the holiday—that baffles the Irish—has always been a little silly. We dug through the archives to see how Angelenos celebrated.
Sure, there were immigrants celebrating their heritage through bagpipes and dancing. NBC helped to unite an Irish matriarch with American grandchildren she'd never met. But we also found a group of Los Feliz ladies who lunch who decided to give their St. Paddy's Day party a Japanese theme for some reason. TWA sponsored an effort to bring Irish shamrocks to the U.S. Hollywood studios got in on the holiday, too, while promoting "Darby O'Gill And The Little People." And Sharon Tate got in the spirit in Beverly Hills one year with a shamrock lei.
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The study found recipients spent nearly all the money on basic needs like food and transportation, not drugs or alcohol.