New Jersey’s strong Irish population: Proud to celebrate heritage

There was an article that came out this week that ranked the top cities for being and celebrating Irish Heritage. Of course, Boston, New York, and Chicago ranked in that order as the biggest places that have and celebrate Irish heritage.

I thought for sure that maybe Jersey City would be up there as they have a long history of a strong Irish heritage population and they know how to celebrate it. The survey ranked them at somewhere below the 150th mark.

Needless to say, that got my Irish up and there was no mention of the Jersey Shore as a collective location that certainly celebrates and has many of Irish heritage.

Source Adobe Stock By svetlanais

The Jersey Shore is the primary location of the most who celebrate Ireland, with two surveys showing that there are more here in New Jersey of Irish heritage than there are in Ireland.

I don’t know if I believe those surveys because Ireland has over 5 million in population but the truth is that there are many here who are of Irish heritage.

New Jersey boasts a heavily populated Irish community that is said to be at over 865,000 people who claim Irish heritage as their primary ethnicity. That is second in numbers only to the 1.5 million of those who claim Italian heritage here in New Jersey. Coming in third are those of German heritage.

Johnny Cohen Unsplash

There are plenty of Irish-themed bars and restaurants, there are a couple of Irish festivals, many organizations that are made up of those from family roots tracing back to the land of green, Ireland. There are plenty of ways to celebrate that Irish heritage here in New Jersey.

Source Adobe Stock By VadimGuzhva

So not only on St. Patrick’s Day can you celebrate the wearing of the green here in New Jersey but just about every day of the week there are places and things to do to bring you back or where you can learn more about Ireland and its amazing heritage. Enjoy!

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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host Big Joe Henry. Any opinions expressed are Big Joe’s own.

The Ultimate Guide to New Jersey Brewpubs

From the website that gave you the "Friendliest bars" and places to watch the game, comes the ultimate guide to New Jersey brewpubs.

So what's a "brew pub"?

According to Thompson Island's Article on the differences between a craft brewery, microbrewery, brewpub & gastropub, it says:

"A brewpub is a hybrid between a restaurant and a brewery. It sells at least 25% of its beer on-site in combination with significant food services. At a brewpub, the beer is primarily brewed for sale inside the restaurant or bar. Where it's legally allowed, brewpubs may sell beer to go or distribute it to some offsite destinations."

New Jersey has tons of Brewpubs, some of which have been around for years and some that have just opened in the past year.

Here is a full list of the 21 brewpubs in New Jersey according to New Jersey Craft Beer:

Best coffee shops & cafes near NJ beaches

When it comes to food, New Jersey is known for many things such as pizza and pork roll. Don't count us out when it comes to coffee.

With all the hustle and bustle involved in the average New Jersey resident's day, coffee is essential. It doesn't matter whether you're living in the cities of North Jersey or the vacation spots at the shore.

In fact, as the former owner of two Jersey shore coffee houses, Coffee Dot Comedy in Sea Isle City and the Daily Grind in Ocean Grove, I know firsthand how much people at the Jersey shore love their coffee.

With respect to that, I asked my social media following where the best coffee houses at the Jersey Shore were, especially since my two places no longer exist.

Below is what they came up with. (And see this other article for their coffee shop and cafe recommendations for Central Jersey.)