The traditions associated with St. Patrick's Day are fairly simple. They mostly involve the color green and beer. Large cities hold parades and some even dye their rivers and fountains green. Bars and pubs celebrate with green beer and Irish music.

And then there is the feast. St. Patrick's Day is a feast day on the Catholic liturgical calendar and so most revelers choose to feast.

My mother is Irish, and so we feast.

The traditional menu for St. Patrick's Day includes corned beef and cabbage and, of course, beer.

But one item that many hold dear is a sweet, dense treat called Irish soda bread.

It's called soda bread because it is leavened with baking soda rather than yeast. In Ireland it is a common quick bread that is used in meals like we might use biscuits. But for St. Patrick's Day, it is sweetened with sugar and studded with raisins or other dried fruits.

This fancier variation makes an annual appearance on the March bread menu of bakeries throughout western Wake County.

Irish Soda Bread is hugely popular this time of year, says Paige Williams, who owns Great Harvest Bakery in Cary with her husband Tom. She says Tom has worked hard on developing a recipe that makes their soda bread particularly moist.

They make Irish Soda Bread in the customary round shape with a cross cut in the top. The cross is a tradition that may have religious symbolism but is also said to help the bread rise.

The bakery, like many others, features breads with religious and holiday associations, from challah every Friday to Honey Bunny Bread and Hot Cross Buns leading up to Easter.

The soda bread sold by bakeries is very festive. But I decided to try and make the simpler Irish table bread and found a recipe on the Web site of The Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread www.sodabread.us.

The pan that you use to cover the bread simulates a bastible pot - an early Dutch oven - that was used to bake bread at the hearth.

When I removed the top pan after the first 30 minutes there was a puff of steam.

So it seems that covering it keeps the bread in a moist atmosphere at the beginning of the baking.

Even so, my crust came out quite craggy and crunchy. Perhaps a smoother crust comes with practice, but the bread inside had a nice even texture that would be perfect for sopping up Irish stew or hearty soups.

Either version, the basic or the festive, would fit in nicely with a St. Patrick's Day feast. At my parents' table it comes slathered with green butter and served with green milk, but such eccentricities are only required if you're related to me. Thank goodness.

Here are a few places that sell Irish soda bread this time of year:

Great Harvest Bakery in Cary, 919-460-8158.

Sweet Traditions Bakery, 919-462-0320.

LaFarm Bakery, 919-657-0657.

Kroger, 919-380-9955.

Fresh Market, 919-481-2865.