Corned Beef and Submarines? The Other March 17 Holidays

Every year on March 17, millions of Americans break out the green shirts, shamrock decorations, and perhaps a plate of something hearty in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Parades wind through city streets, pubs fill early in the afternoon, and Irish music echoes across neighborhoods from Boston to Chicago.

But here’s the funny part: while everyone is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, the calendar quietly recognizes a couple of other observances on March 17 that rarely get the spotlight. They may not inspire parades or green cupcakes, but they certainly add a quirky twist to the day.

Let’s start with the one that makes perfect sense.

National Corned Beef and Cabbage Day

If St. Patrick’s Day had an official dinner plate, this would be it.

Corned beef and cabbage has become the unofficial meal of March 17 across the United States. Kitchens fill with the smell of slow-cooked brisket, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots simmering away for hours. Restaurants roll out special menus, and grocery stores pile briskets high in the meat case.

Here’s the little secret, though: the dish is actually more Irish-American than Irish.

When Irish immigrants arrived in American cities in the 1800s, beef was easier to find and more affordable than the pork they had traditionally eaten back home. Pair it with cabbage—cheap, filling, and widely available—and you had a meal that could feed a big family without breaking the bank.

Before long, the dish became closely associated with Irish-American communities, and eventually with St. Patrick’s Day itself.

Today, plenty of families who don’t have a single Irish ancestor still gather around a plate of corned beef and cabbage every March 17. It’s become less about heritage and more about tradition—and honestly, a pretty good excuse for a hearty meal.

But the next holiday on the list? That one comes out of nowhere.

Submarine Day

Yes. Submarine Day.

While Americans are raising a toast to Ireland on March 17, the U.S. Navy is quietly remembering a very different milestone: the day in 1898 when the Navy acquired its first modern submarine, the USS Holland.

The submarine was designed by John Philip Holland, an Irish-born engineer who proved that underwater vessels could operate effectively and change the future of naval warfare.

So technically—if you really want to stretch it—Submarine Day still has a tiny Irish connection.

It just happens to involve steel hulls, periscopes, and several hundred feet of ocean instead of shamrocks and bagpipes.

The USS Holland wasn’t the massive nuclear-powered submarine we picture today. But it was a breakthrough that helped launch what would eventually become one of the most advanced submarine fleets in the world.

Not exactly parade material—but still pretty impressive.

Proof That the Calendar Has a Sense of Humor

So while St. Patrick’s Day will always dominate March 17—and probably always should—it’s nice to know the day carries a couple of unexpected companions.

One celebrates the classic Irish-American meal that fills dinner tables across the country.

The other honors a technological breakthrough that happened far beneath the waves.

Corned beef on the surface. Submarines under the sea.

Only in America could those two things end up sharing the same holiday.

And honestly, that feels about right.