There’s a lot more to St. Patrick’s Day than Guinness and pinching those who don’t wear green.

A modern secular holiday based on the Christian saint’s feast day — and also thought to be the date of his death — St. Patrick’s Day celebrates one of Christianity’s most widely known figures.

Once a pagan, St. Patrick is credited, among other things, with driving the snakes from Ireland.

In 1737, Irish immigrants to the United States began observing the holiday publicly in Boston and held the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City in 1766.

The tradition continues today with people from all walks of life and heritages wearing green, eating Irish food and marching in colorful parades.

Some cities paint the traffic stripe of their parade routes green. Chicago even dyes its river green. Savannah dyes its downtown city fountains green. The longest running St. Patrick’s Day parades in the United States are in Boston (since 1737), New York City (since 1756), Philadelphia (since 1771), Savannah (since 1813), Chicago (since 1843) and San Francisco (since 1852).

To those who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick’s Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide.

It is also a day for the Irish — and those who are Irish for a day — to prepare and eat traditional Irish fare.

Tradition in many households calls for serving corned beef and cabbage for the holiday’s main meal, whether eaten midday or in the evening.

We turned to one of the valley’s best known Irish chefs, restaurateur Bob Hurley, to come up with a classic recipe for corned beef for this coming Saturday’s festivities.

While it’s too late to “corn” your own beef — which takes a month or more — Hurley indicates it’s a simple dish that just takes time to cook. You can pick up a brisket at your favorite butcher shop or market that’s already “corned,” and just follow Hurley’s easy steps.

(“Corn” refers to brining, the process of adding salt to tenderize a cut of meat; “corn” used to be synonymous with “grain,” which describes the shape of the coarse salt traditionally used for brining.)

Hurley also provides Register readers with recipes for other traditional Irish fare, such as colcannon, champ, boxty, Irish soda bread and Irish whiskey chocolate cake.

The San Francisico native will be serving Irish cuisine throughout the day Saturday at his Yountville eatery, Hurley’s Restaurant and Bar, 6518 Washington St.

Corned beef will be offered throughout the day, from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., with corned beef sandwiches available at the bar at lunch.

A full Irish menu will be available for dinner, served between 5:30 and 10 p.m., complete with a loaf of Irish soda bread for each table. And Hurley’s bartenders will be pouring such favorite Irish brews as Guinness and Harp, and both Bushmills and John Powers Irish whiskeys.

Chef Hurley will even be serving traditional Irish cheeses, such as Cashel Blue (a semi-soft, creamy cow’s milk cheese from Tipperary), Coolea (a semi-soft, nutty-tasting raw cow’s milk cheese made by Dutch immigrants in Ireland) and Gubbeen (an earthy, semi-soft, washed-rind cheese made from raw cow’s milk).

Reservations are advised for this popular holiday meal and can be made by phoning 944-2345.