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| Courtney Curtis / Scroll Illustration |
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| The Republic of Ireland is divided into 26 counties. The gray on the map is Northern Ireland, which belongs to Great Britain. |
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Who was St. Patrick?
Captured as a slave at the age of 16 from Britain and taken to Ireland, St. Patrick eventually escaped, returning to Britain for a few years before deciding to return to Ireland.
His decision to return rose from what he claimed as a second vision, in which an angel told him to return to Ireland as a missionary, according to www.historychannel.com. Once in Ireland, St. Patrick was able to convert the nation to Christianity and due to this, he is now revered as the patron saint of Ireland.
A legend has arisen that St. Patrick also banished snakes from Ireland, and although there are no snakes in Ireland today, the legend is unfounded.
The Shamrock
Legend has it that St. Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to illustrate the principle of the trinity, according to www.fourleafclover.com.
Each leaf represents a different member of the Godhead — the Father, Son and Holy Ghost — and they are all connected by the center “stalk” or stem.
Oddly enough, four-leaf clovers technically cannot be considered shamrocks and therefore, potentially are not full of good luck, as many think.
The Tricolour
The national flag of the Republic of Ireland is called “The Tricolour.” The green signifies Irish Catholics and the Republican cause. The orange represents Irish Protestants. And the white stands for the hope of peace between the two.
History of St. Patrick’s Day
Although it was not officially established as a national holiday in Ireland until 1995, St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated worldwide for hundreds of years.
Since 1737, Boston has held a Patty’s Day parade; New York followed in 1762, according to Encyclopedia Britannica online.
In Chicago, the river is colored green and some bars even color their beer green in cities across the nation.
In order to conform to the Irish government’s wish that a national festival rank “amongst the greatest celebration in the world,” a five-day celebration is held in Dublin beginning on Wednesday, March 15, according to www.stpatricksday.ie/cms/events.
The celebration includes everything from an outdoor market to a donkey sculpture exhibit to a circus and of course, a parade.
A Student’s perspective
In America, St. Patrick’s Day is a day when people dress up in green and pinch those who have forgotten. But for those from Ireland, things are a little bit different.
“One interesting thing I learned when I came to the U.S. was the whole pinching thing,” said Hugh Murphy, a sophomore from Dooradoyle, Ireland. “I had never been pinched for not wearing green; I’m not quite sure where that came from, but it definitely isn’t Irish.”
Although there are parades in the states to celebrate the holiday, those in Ireland get the day off from school and work to celebrate.
“St Patrick’s Day in Ireland is a bank holiday,” Murphy said. “There is a huge parade that marches through inner-city Dublin; many people show up for that.”
Despite a parade and festivities leading up to the day, a St. Patrick’s Day celebration wouldn’t be complete without one thing — food.
“Of course, a St Patrick’s Day wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the pub,” Murphy said. “In Ireland … pubs are more of family establishments.”
Don’t worry, Americans aren’t doing everything different; in Ireland, they wear green from head to toe as well. In the states, some McDonald’s restaurants serve green milkshakes during the month of March as they do in Ireland.
Quick Facts
Irish Proverbs:
• Man is incomplete until he marries. After that, he is
finished.
• Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you fight with
your neighbor. It makes you shoot at your landlord,
and it makes you miss him.
• Never tell secrets to your relatives’ children.
• Cheerfulness is a sign of wisdom.
• You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how
tall your father was.
• Only the rich can afford compassion.
• May you live as long as you want, and never want
as long as you live.
• Idleness is a fool’s desire.
Irish facts:
• Before November 1995, divorce was not legal in
Ireland.
• The Republic of Ireland is approximately half the size
of Arkansas.
• Forty million Americans trace their ancestry back to
Ireland.
Learning a little Gaelic:
• Hello: Dia daoibh
• How are you? cad é mar atá tú
• Good: maith
• Emerald green: glas smaragaide
• gold: ór
• shamrock: seamróg
• Ireland forever (a common St. Patrick’s Day saying):
“Erin go bragh”
• Happy Saint Patrick’s Day: Lá Naomh Pádraig shona
