The prime minister appears in a new video wishing revellers well for the March 17 celebration, which he describes as "the one day of the year when it's good to be green".
He then flashes a green tie he's donned for the occasion.
But it's a controversial line about heritage that has left the Irish unimpressed.
"It's been said of us that the English made the laws, the Scots made the money, and the Irish made the songs," the prime minister says.
The Irish media's response to the video was summed up in two words.
"Oh please," The Irish Examiner wrote.
Some took to social media to criticise Mr Abbott.
"A bloke who just awarded a knighthood to a British Monarch celebrating St. Patricks Day?? You can't make this s*** up!" (sic) one wrote on Facebook.
They're also unhappy the message is almost identical to one recorded last year, in which Mr Abbott shows off a green tie and repeats similar remarks.
