FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Saint Patrick's Day was started in 1631 by the Catholic Church as a way to honor the patron saint of Ireland.
Since then people— whether they are Irish or not— have worn Celtic attire every year to embrace one of the most fun holidays of the year. Though, it's even more special for those of Irish descent.
"It's a chance to celebrate our heritage," Brian O'Connell said. "It's a chance for me to teach my kids about our heritage. It's a day for us to celebrate all the wonderful things that are part of Irish culture."
As the owner of Fayetteville Beer Works, O'Connell said the brewery is celebrating its very first St. Patrick's Day since opening in August 2023.
Although the holiday happened on a Sunday this year, that didn't stop business for O'Connell.
"Sundays usually aren't the biggest day of the week, but today we're getting to have a Friday night on a Sunday afternoon. So it's definitely a good boost for the business," he said.
Traditionally, a lot of bars like to serve green beer for this holiday, but O'Connell had a different idea in mind.
"I have Irish heritage and so we really want to celebrate Irish heritage, which is not necessarily green beer," O'Connell said. "You know, the Irish have their own brewing culture. And we're a craft brewery and we want to showcase that Irish brewing culture to all of our customers here and celebrate that, so we made a traditional Irish stout."
RELATED: From 4-leaf clovers to some unexpected history, all you need to know about St. Patrick's Day
While Fayetteville Beer Works stayed away from the green beer, there was plenty festive beer on the other side of town on Dickson Street where University of Arkansas students enjoyed the holiday.
"Just because I get to hang out with my friends, it gives us an excuse to go out and have fun, and I'm also 50% Irish so it makes up for a good excuse," Haylee Hobbs, a U of A student, said.
Other attendees believed going out for St. Patrick's Day was the perfect way to seize the moment.
"It's just important to take every chance you can to have a good time. You know, life is short, and there's no reason to leave anything on the table," Jordan McKibbon, another student, said.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.