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I'm a quarter Scots-Irish (pronounced "Scotch-Irish" in my household), which, until adulthood, I thought meant "descended from a particular clan of Irish folk who happened to drink a lot of Scotch." Now that I've read all about the Ulsters, I realize that it just means some of my ancestors were from Northern Ireland. But we also have some straight up Irish Bradys in the mix. The point of all of this is that, as a kid, identifying as partially Irish was the only semi-exciting part of my white girl cultural heritage. Every St. Patrick's Day, we'd go to the parade in Holyoke, MA, where I smeared green facepaint onto my cheeks in the shape of shamrocks then stood by the side of the road gawking at glockenspiels and chewing cotton candy. Erin go bragh!

So here's a mix of musical contributions from the Irish, full of high-quality punk rock, mournful laments by the lovelorn, and pennywhistles. (Warning: This mix contains no U2, Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrison, or Cranberries, even though they're wonderful and important, yadda, yadda, yadda.) And since "Danny Boy" seems to be falling out favor, feel free to use this mix for your St. Pat's party on Monday.

1. "Put a Penny In the Slot" - Fionn Regan

This redheaded neo-Leonard Cohen is taking over the Indie-folk world. Oh, what a world! This song references Paul Auster, Hennessy, and Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and the video takes place on a chalkboard.

2. "Teenage Kicks" - The Undertones

Any excuse to listen to this song, a simple, enthusiastic kick in the ass straight from '78.

3. "Ask Me How I Am" - Snow Patrol

Love this guy's whisper-sweet voice. And they do a mean cover of Beyonce's "Crazy In Love," complete with Jay-Z rap.

4. "Rocky Took a Lover" - Bell X1

Indie rock from Damien Rice's (see below) former bandmates (Juniper). Self-described sound? "A barrel of fannies." I've decided, with no proof whatsoever, that this song is a reference to the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Which means I love it.

5. "Hunting With Mirrors" - Bad Haggis

The piper in this band is "the world's most recorded piper." If that's not hot, then I don't know what.

6. "New Partner" - The Frames

I used a cover of a Bonnie Prince Billy song, because I can't really handle their usual Coldplay ripoffs. But I loved Once! And Glen Hansard is adorable.

7. "Sally MacLennane" - The Pogues

Can't have a St. Pat's mix without Shane MacGowan representing. That poor, drunk, toothless bastard.

8. "She's So Modern" - The Boomtown Rats

I love the name of this song, I love the shouting, and I love that Bob Geldof, responsible for Live Aid (and Band Aid, and Live 8), is thereby indirectly responsible for RUN-D.M.C.'s "My Adidas."

9. "Not For All the Love in the World" - The Thrills

Gotta love a band that gained fame and fortune with a song called "Whatever Happened to Corey Haim?"

10. "Wax & Seal" - Tadhg Cooke

More "dark folk" from the Emerald Isle!

11. "Volcano" - Damien Rice

Good old DR provides the soundtrack to modern suicide-contemplators all over the world. I kind of want to marry him. But that might be a bit of a drag.

12. "When You Sleep" - My Bloody Valentine

Mmmmmm...the '90s...so delicious...

Bonus Tracks

"Barroom Hero" - Dropkick Murphies

What's a St. Pat's mix without some barroom antics?

"Boil the Breakfast Early" - The Cheiftans

Hey, it was them or the Corrs. Sue me, I'm partially Irish.

For fun, check out the meaning of your Irish surname here. I was pleased to discover that Brady means "spirited." And then take a look at this heartwarming Gothamist article about Bronx schoolchildren performing traditional Irish dance. The video is kind of amazing.

Happy St. Pat's! A million shamrocks to you and yours.