So St. Patty’s Day is afoot and while the booze will flow as certain as God made little green leprechauns, one thing is certain: some of us will spend the 18th with hangovers the size of a Leon Uris tome.

For many, March 17 is a time to party and lay claim to the “fact” that your father’s, mother’s, uncle’s, half-brother on his great-great grandfather’s side of the family may have been named Seamus. And so, a toast to Seamus. And Sean. And Bernadette. And Brendan. And so on and so on. Ad nauseum, literally.

So the 18th is total loss of a day, and a few million brain cells (but, who’s counting) to be sure, right?

Not so me bucko, and while top o’ the morning will likely be top o’ the mid- to late-afternoon, possibly evening, nothing will usher in the day like a fine Irish movie. Those who think this limits the selection to “The Quiet Man” (brilliant, by the way) and “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” (could honestly never get past the title), read on because as established as the Irish are at fighting losing battles, telling stories that go nowhere and finding new and almost edible recipes for potatoes, they’re also a fine subject for movies.

• “The Commitments” (1991) A grand movie about an up and coming Irish blues band in the throes of success. It’s fun, but the driving vocals of “Mustang Sally” might just cause a splitting headache to develop a rift the size of the one that Ann Coulter has created between herself and every single gay man, woman and child, both living and dead, in recent years. You know, huge.

• “Leprechaun” (1993) Warwick Davis in the role he was born to play. If you can’t catch the original pot of gold, Leprechaun 2-6 do nicely. But the one that started it all has a young Jennifer Aniston (who is rumored to have had a relationship with actor Brad Pitt) in classic ‘80s garb, replete with leg warmers, no less. Tres chic. The beauty of the series is that the rules of the game (i.e. how you stop the Leprechaun) change on a movie-to-movie basis. So pay attention.

• “State of Grace” (1990) A lot can be said about Sean Penn, including the fact that I was once mistaken for him at a “juice bar” in Upstate New York during my brother’s bachelor party. One thing I’ve yet to hear is that the guy can’t act. He can and does so well. “State of Grace” follows Penn back to his old stomping grounds in Hell’s Kitchen where he re-ignites with an old flame played by Robin Wright Penn (fortunately, not his sister). With a supporting cast of Gary Oldman and Ed Harris, the stars are out and shining brightly as the hero tries to balance old friendships with new loyalties. It’s fine cinema and ends in one of the most memorable shootouts I’ve ever seen.

• “Waking Ned Devine” (1998) If you’re not put off by old, naked Irishmen, read on… um you’re still reading? Eww. Anyway, this is a fine tale of quaint Irish village folk who have a chance at splitting several million dollars but must first fool the lottery commission into believing it’s true winner is alive and well. It’s fun, good natured and a bit cutesy, but as fine as soda bread and stew.

• “Miller’s Crossing” (1990) The Cohen brothers’ look at Irish mobsters during Prohibition is one of Gabriel Bryne’s finest movies ever. The direction, casting and acting is flawless. The cinematography intimate, yet sweeping at times. The characters have heart and dare the viewer to love or hate them from the opening scenes. Ultimately, the plot drags you in and doesn’t let go until the final bullets fly.

• “Far and Away” (1992) Before the amorphous being known as Tom-Kat, there was Tom and Nicole. Cruise and Kidman, that is. The Hollywood duo, like so many others met on set, had a few kids and called it quits. (Marriage vows in L.A. — Do you promise to honor and love so and so until you star in a movie with someone else? Someone you’d like to sleep with more than your betrothed? Great. OK, who’s got the prenup?) … And we’re back. Ron “Opey Cunningham” Howard actually makes an enjoyable adventure out of this one as he follows the Irish duo off of Erin’s Isle, across the sea, to the city and finally Oklahoma for the land run. The chemistry between the two is fun to watch and even though you could be seeing double, the happy ending is visible from the get-go.

• “Cinderella Man” (2005) Russell Crowe takes to the ring as Depression-era boxer James Braddock to support his impoverished family. A real stand up and cheer movie. You’d have to be made of stone to not get teary eyed during this one, provided you have tears left after crying in your beer all night and telling the bar tender 1,001 times, “I love you, man!” but tipping him in sofa change.

Have fun, and for the sake of everyone, drive safe.