St. Patrick's Day with Bagpipe Music and Irish Soda Bread

March 18, 2026

St. Patrick's Day with Bagpipe Music and Irish Soda Bread

It's often said that on St. Patrick's Day, everybody has a touch of the Irish!

Yesterday, I celebrated the occasion by making my rendition of Irish soda bread - a rich, dense, lightly sweet loaf baked with golden raisins, caraway seeds, and butter. I shared it with my staff at the farm during a performance from young bagpiper Will McCormack, a charming 16-year old musician who has been playing with the Police Officer Stephen Driscoll Pipe Band since 2024.

Enjoy these photos.

: Fresh out of the oven – two beautiful Irish Soda bread loaves. I made them earlier in the day.

: I used my recipe for Rich Irish Soda Bread. It’s a tender raisin-filled loaf that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any day the craving hits.

: Before baking anything I always prepare all my ingredients. This bread is easy to make and because it requires no rising time, it can also be done pretty quickly. Here are some of my dry ingredients.

: Here I am buttering the top of this loaf before it goes into the oven. I used a serrated knife to make the “x” about an inch deep into the top of each loaf. Legend has it that, in some areas of Ireland, a cross was cut on the top of the Irish soda bread with a knife to ward off the devil and protect the household.

: I also like to sprinkle a little flour on top, so it gets that dusted look when it’s done.

: And then the loaves go into the oven preheated to 350-degrees Fahrenheit.

: After a little more than an hour, the loaves are all done. This looks perfect.

: I served it later in the afternoon with Vermont Creamery butter. I also served delicious warm tea – it was a cold and windy day.

: This is a member of my security team, Bill McCormack, along with his wife, Diana, and his son, Will.

: Here’s Will setting up his bagpipes. Traditionally, bagpipes were made from the skin of animals. The hide would be turned inside out to create the bag, while the pipes were made from hollow reeds or wood. Today, many bagpipes are constructed using synthetic materials.

: Will also selected three different songs to play for me and my staff.

: Adan, Pete, and Fernando enjoyed the bread and the warm tea.

: My dear friend Muffin Dowdle also stopped by to celebrate with us.

: I asked Will to play on my terrace parterre. While spring officially begins in less than a week, it’s been chilly, so my boxwood hedges and shrubs are still covered in protected burlap.

: Will has been a bagpiper with the Police Officer Stephen Driscoll Pipe Band since 2024. The band was named in honor of New York City Emergency Police Officer Stephen P. Driscoll, who was killed on September 11, 2001. The band proudly wears the New York City Tartan, which was designed by Lochcarron of Scotland, and presented to New York City in April, 2002. The colors of the tartan represent New York with gray for the streets and buildings of the City, green for Central Park, and blue for the Hudson and East Rivers which surround Manhattan. The two black lines which are designed in a cross offer a sign of condolence in memory of those who died in the Twin Towers tragedy.