Destination: Get Y our Irish On. Go beyond St. Patrick’s Day and experience the Irish spirit worldwide

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is all well and good (especially if you happen to be in New York City, Chicago, or Savannah, Georgia, on or around March 17). But if you crave more Irish than a day of green beer and marching bands, why not dig a bit deeper into the Irish tradition: meet some other real and mythical characters, and make a summer vacation of it? May I suggest:

Finn McCool and the Giant’s Causeway

So here’s what happened. Once upon a time long, long ago, a troublemaking giant from Scotland named Bennandonnar decided to stomp his way south through the Irish Sea and take over Ireland. Which didn’t sit well with Irish giant Fionn MacCumhaill (Finn McCool for short). He threw massive boulders into the sea facing Scotland, creating a bridge that he could stride across and take the enemy down. Much drama and trickery ensued

in the best fairy tale fashion, but eventually Bennandonnar retreats to Scotland in defeat, furiously tearing up the causeway as he goes. Today, the four mile-long Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland is a super-mc-cool place to visit, with its surreal formations of 40,000 basalt rock columns and giant flat stones dubbed Giant’s Eyes. The Causeway Coastal Route is an eco-adventurer’s dream, meandering through marshes, along beaches, past castles and through picturesque seaside towns. And, of course, Game of Thrones country is all around. Visit discovernorthernireland.com

King Puck and the Puck Fair

If you’re free in August, head to the oldest fair in Ireland, dating back 400 years, to help celebrate a very old goat. No, not some politician – or your weird uncle thrice removed – but an actual wild mountain goat. Kind of the cloven-hoofed Paul Revere of Killorglin, Ireland, this

heroic creature is said to have charged down from the mountaintop to warn the villagers that Oliver Cromwell’s murderous army was coming. Now, each year, Old Puck (or one of his most worthy descendants) is captured and escorted into town for a three-day fair, which includes horse and cattle shows, flea markets, ceiligh music, Irish dance workshops, wild geese shenanigans, stilt walkers and strongmen, a parade, and of course, the goat-crowning ceremony. Weekend or not, the festival is held every August 10, 11, and 12. Afterward, King Puck is released back into the wild.

Cape Cod Irish Village

Okay, South Yarmouth isn’t as over-the-top Irish as Boston (America’s biggest Irish heritage city) or Scituate, just up the coast (where over 60% of the population claims Irish ancestors!), but at the Cape Cod Irish Village Inn you can chow down on some corned beef and cabbage or shepherd’s pie in the dining room, have a pint in the pub, or do some impromptu Irish dancing year-round. South Yarmouth is centrally located on the cape, close to everything from salt marshes and giant sand dunes to lighthouses and cranberry bogs, endless bike paths, and whale-watching experiences. Not the least bit Irish, but not-to-miss, is the historic Whydah Pirate Museum. Visit discoverpirates.com; capecod-irishvillage.com.

World’s Largest Celtic Music & Culture Festival

If you guessed that the location is Milwaukee, Wisconsin, you’d be right! If Irish music and dance get your heart racing, skip St. Patrick’s weekend and plan to visit in August during the Milwaukee Irish Fest. The four-day festival has lots of family activities, including the Leprechaun Village and leprechaun contest, Celtic Canines, pipe and drum performances, storytelling, prizes, and children’s culture and play areas. Several nearby hotels have Irish Fest packages. Visit irishfest.com.

Photos, facing page, top: The Giant’s Causeway on the Antrim Coast in Northern Ireland. Facing page, bottom: Rachel Newman of Naples at the Giant’s Causeway. Above: The King Puck statue in Killorglin, Ireland.

We buy & sell gently used kids stuff • Clothing (newborn to size 16), toys, baby furniture, equipment, and more. • We pay cash on the spot. • No appointment necessary; clothes must be freshly laundered and brought in a plastic container. 13560 Tamiami Trail N. #4, Naples 239-596-6096

Also in: Fort Myers at 239-274-0039 Port Charlotte at 941-764-8121 onceuponachildnaples.com