Mary Kay Derzay and Dee O’Donnell have never set foot in Ireland, but they can feel their ancestry in their hearts and souls.

“To me, it’s a peaceful country. They did have some problems, but they worked them out. And they’re hard workers,” said O’Donnell, 77, a resident of Kenmore’s Spring Estates Senior Living Community (7221 N.E. 182nd St.), which will be holding a free Irish Festival for the residents and public from 5-7 p.m. St. Patrick’s Day.

O’Donnell wore green beads around her neck last Tuesday while chatting about her family members, a handful of whom were born on the Emerald Isle, but she never met in person. Her mother grew up in the states, but kept the Irish spirit alive in their Kansas household, Dee said.

Dee noted with a smile that she’ll be proudly wearing her green “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” T-shirt at tonight’s event (“If that isn’t too offensive to you,” she joked) and mentioned that she quit smoking on St. Patrick’s Day 1963.

“The luck of the Irish — that’s cool,” chipped in Fern Nelson, Spring Estates’ life engagement coordinator.

As for Derzay, 59, her grandfather, Judge Jeremiah Lynch, grew up in Cork’s Castletown Bere and eventually moved to Butte, Mont., and founded its Friendly Sons of St. Patrick chapter.

Derzay remembers that the Butte St. Patrick’s Day banquet was for men only at first, but over the years they invited women into the mix. She attended the meal a few times, but was usually up for the festivities on tap in town (not to mention the bar taps, as well).

“They’d block off a couple of blocks uptown and you’d go from place to place and drink green beer,” Derzay said of the “fun and happy” atmosphere. “It’s big, they have a parade. It’s mostly the people — looking at the people — just getting dressed up for it is nice.”

Justin Wammock has worked as Spring Estates’ marketing director for four years, helping organize many successful events, including a luau. He may be a little green when it comes to setting up a St. Patrick’s Day soiree, but feels it’s high time for the senior community’s inaugural event.

The festival will feature Irish tunes from accordionist Bonnie Birch and guitarist/vocalist Nick Heiting and a “hefty” 10-item feast of corned beef cabbage, Killarney red potatoes, Shanagarry apple cake and more from the hands of chef Michael Stenson.

“Me, personally, I didn’t really grow up celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. My St. Patrick’s Day was just getting pinched every year,” Wammock laughed, noting that he’ll be sure to wear green this time around. “So it’s fun for me to learn from the residents with the Irish background, and kind of try out the food. And it’s fun to get the community involved, too.”

To say that Nelson is a fan of St. Patrick’s Day is an understatement — she simply lives for this day. Growing up in Kansas, as well, she said that her parents dished up an array of eats (including green food coloring in their breakfast scrambled eggs and lunchtime sandwich bread) and good spirits each March 17th.

“It was almost bigger than Easter — a big old meal, a whole big Irish thing,” she said.

One year, when Nelson was 5, she and her siblings got the family cow in on the act.

“We painted dad’s favorite cow green. She was white and black, and we painted her green,” Nelson said, noting with all seriousness that this really happened. “We used house paint, and it stayed there for the longest time because it went straight to the skin — so her skin was a little green. Dad wasn’t very happy.”

The kids’ punishment was washing off the paint, which took a few months, but Nelson said it was a crack-up for all involved.

“They (my parents) were laughing too hard, and they said, ‘Just don’t do it again,'” she noted.

This St. Patrick’s Day will be all about the Spring Estates seniors and, presumably, no cows will be allowed on the premises.

“It brings back old memories from their childhood,” Nelson added. “And we may end up hearing a lot of stories and a lot of good things about their history.”

For information about the festival, call (425) 481-4200.