This week's episode of The Sporkful podcast is up! Listen through the player or iTunes/Podcasts app. (And please subscribe!)

What do a great priest and a great bartender have in common?

Father Bill Dailey, a Catholic priest, legal scholar, and amateur mixologist has some ideas:

"A bartender has to orchestrate, as a priest does, this community of people – some of whom are celebrating, some of whom may need a little reproving, some of whom need encouragement."

St. Patrick's Day is coming soon, and this week on The Sporkful we're talking about great bars and bartenders.

First up, Dan revisits a beloved bar from his past -- Sligo Pub in Somerville, Mass. -- to explore what makes a great bar.

Some of the regulars there (above) tell Dan what keeps them coming back to the Sligo year after year.

"You can come without any airs, you don't have to refinance to have a drink," one regular named Mike tells Dan in the episode. "It's like a comfortable shoe -- you come in and put it on."

Listen in to the full episode for more stories from this special place -- including one man who shined shoes there as a child more than half a century ago.

Later in the show, we visit New York's Churchill Tavern with a Catholic priest who moonlights as a mixologist.

Father Bill Dailey (above) teaches law at Notre Dame University. He also makes a mean cocktail -- especially when he's talking to journalists.

"I like to have the upper hand in interviews," he says. "The smartest way to do that is to get the interviewer soused."

Father Bill makes Dan a Gaelic Flip and discusses tending bar and tending to his flock. You'll have to listen in to the very end to hear Father Bill's joke about Pope Benedict. (It's worth it!)

And if you're feeling daring, try making a Lawn Dart (above). Dan learned about it when he was on a podcast called Let's Drink About It.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Eaters and Drinkers!

This week's episode of The Sporkful podcast is up! Listen through the player or iTunes/Podcasts app. (And please subscribe!)

Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

Some music in this episode from Black Label Music:

- "Mother Tucker" by Steve Pierson

- "Incidentally" by Kenneth J. Brahmstedt

Photos: FlickrCC/Thomas Hawk; Dan Pashman; courtesy of "Let's Drink About It"