NEW ORLEANS — You don't need a calendar to know what time of year it is in Mid-City.
Homes on South Telemachus Street with their Irish flags flapping in the breeze make it obvious.
Finn McCool's St. Patrick's Day celebration is another indicator, but that won't happen this year.
Sean Kennedy, the bar’s owner, decided to close down the bar on the big day to make sure no one gets sick and that there aren’t any violations of city or state rules.
Kennedy said the weekend brought more people than usual, and not everyone wanted to play by the house rules, which are posted everywhere -- in English and Irish Gaelic.
“There was more standing up outside. There were more people coming in without wearing a mask,” he said. “We still had the size under control, because we told people you had to move. But it was more of the flagrant disregard of what we're all supposed to be doing.”
He said there were also times where it almost became combative.
In recent days, the bar posted on its Facebook page, saying it was looking forward to the big day -- with some new rules this year.
"We will be strictly managing the need to sit at available seating, wait for table service, and wearing a mask when entering or moving about inside," a message on the bar’s Facebook page read.
After this weekend's crowd, Kennedy said it just wasn't worth it to risk getting people sick -- or violating city or state rules.
“Certainly when we evaluated the benefit versus the risk, the risk way outweighed the benefit. So if I lost a few dollars in business and a few thousand dollars in profits, I'm OK with that,” he said.
Tracey’s and Parasol’s, two Irish bars in the Irish Channel, also said they will close down on St. Patrick’s Day this year.
Aside from the public health message Finn's shared through its self-imposed shutdown, Kennedy said he has one hope for next year.
“Please, God, we'll see you next St. Patrick's Day,” Kennedy said.
Bars normally packed for St. Patrick's Day are closing over concern of big, unruly crowds
Finn McCool's, Tracey's and Parasol's say they will be closed Wednesday, March 17.