Sun, sand and shamrocks are in Josh Cowdy's near future. This year, the College of Health Sciences freshman will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day on the beach in Florida.

Marquette University's spring break begins on March 13 and classes resume on March 20, allowing students a week to unwind after midterm stress. Coincidently, spring break includes St. Patrick's Day, meaning hordes of beer-buying college students won't be on hand to patronize area bars, listen to Irish music, eat corned beef and cabbage or, of course, partake in St. Patrick's Day beverages like Guinness and Baileys Irish Cream.

But local bars don't seem too concerned about seeing less business on St. Patrick's Day. Bar employees explained that while the bars benefit from the business of Marquette students, their sales are not dependent upon them, at least on this holiday.

Joe Varaga, manager of O'Brady's Bar and Grill,1634 N. Water St., said although he has noticed a difference in business when Marquette is in school over St. Patrick's Day and years in which the students are on spring break, he is not worried about this year's sales.

"We'll definitely have a good crowd, being an Irish bar and all," Varaga said.

John McCally, vice president of marketing at Mo's Irish Pub, 142 W. Wisconsin Ave., agreed. According to McCally, while much of the pub's business comes from Marquette students, alumni and faculty, he said Mo's appeals to a wide variety of costumers, not just college students.

"We have a lot of activities for people of all ages," he said.

Both bars believe that its business will benefit because University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students will not be on spring break and will be celebrating in Milwaukee instead.

To compensate for any lost business, several bars are having St. Patrick's Day celebrations on March 10 and 11. March 11 is the day of Milwaukee's annual St. Patrick's Day parade.

"We think that we'll be a very popular destination those days and the days between now and St. Patrick's Day," McCally said.

Being of Irish heritage, Cowdy says he loves St. Patrick's Day, but he's not too disappointed that he will have to sport green and celebrate all things Irish while vacationing in Florida during spring break to enjoy warmer weather and relax with friends.

"I'm not upset that I won't be in Milwaukee on St. Patrick's Day because we don't have to worry about school when we're celebrating," he said.