St Patrick’s Day – All You Need to Know

Now, why do you think that we call Ireland the Emerald Isle?

You may have heard it called all three of the above. Which is right? Well, that depends on where you are. Let’s break it down:

• St Patrick’s Day – This is the official title
• Paddy’s Day – This is what the locals call it
• Patty’s Day – This is a term used by some people in the US, but according to the Irish, this is wrong! Best stick to Paddy.

So what’s it all about?

Every year on March 17th, the Irish celebrate the patron saint of Ireland all around the world, a man called St Patrick. And because we’re a friendly bunch, anyone who wishes to join in is more than welcome! What started as a religious celebration in the 17th century has evolved to celebrate the history and culture of Ireland in general.

March 17th is significant as he died on this date – today, pay homage to his memorial tomb at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. Learn more about St Patrick here.

There are places all over Ireland associated with St Patrick. In County Galway: Croagh Patrick, Ireland’s holy mountain is a much-beloved pilgrimage route (especially on Reek Sunday, the final Sunday of July, which sees a mass pilgrimage to the top) and Mam Ean, or the Pass of the Birds, where there is a shrine dedicated to the saint. And in County Mayo, check out the beautiful Downpatrick Head and sea stack, once a popular spot for pilgrims.

Check out our hiking trip, Hike the Mountains of Connemara & Mayo to follow in the steps of St Patrick yourself!

Follow in St Patrick’s Footsteps

The Shamrock

There are several different stories about why we wear shamrocks on St Patrick’s Day.

Irish folklore says St Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to Irish pagans. The wearing of shamrocks goes back as far back at the 17th century. At the time, the Irish Catholic religion was forced underground due to British rule. Strict laws prevented Catholics from attending school.

The Catholics formed ‘hedge schools’ in secret to continue their education – which took place in actual bushes! The teachers used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity to pupils. To show their defiance of British rule, the Irish Catholics started wearing shamrocks.

Another version of the story involves the Boer War and Queen Victoria. The war wasn’t as easy as Queen Victoria had anticipated. The military struggled to overcome their enemies and causalities mounted.

Irish volunteers made up many of the British regiments. To keep Irish support strong in the military, Queen Victoria formed a new unit called the Irish Guards, who were allowed them to wear a sprig of shamrock on St Patrick’s Day.

Wearing Green

For those of you who aren’t aware, Ireland is known as The Emerald Isle, largely because of how green the countryside is – which is what makes it such a perfect spot for hiking.

Blue was the original colour associated with St Patrick. During the 1790’s, the colour green became entwined with Irish nationalism. So as a rebellion to British rule, the Irish began wearing green, picking up steam throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Not only do people wear green today, but buildings and bodies of water in various cities around the world ‘Go Green’ for St Patrick’s Day. In 2015, 150 of the world’s most famous landmarks went green. Some recent famous sites include:

• Christ the Redeemer statue atop Corcovado hill in Rio de Janeiro
• Edinburgh Castle
• The Leaning Tower of Pisa
• Niagara Falls
• The fountain at the White House
• Sydney Opera House.

So, are you going green?

The Parades

Every year on St Patrick’s Day, there are parades all over the world. Believe it or not, the first ever St Patrick’s Day parade was not held in Ireland. In fact, it was in New York in 1762. The first parade wasn’t held in Ireland until 1903! In 1762, it was Irish soldiers in the British Army who held the first parade. Many Irish immigrated to America in the 19th century and the celebration became widespread.

1. On average, 13 million pints of Guinness are sold on St Patrick’s Day – which is more than double the amount sold on an average day. More than 33 million people are expected to be celebrating St Patrick on March 17th!
2. Up until 1970, the pubs in Ireland were closed on St Patrick’s Day, as it was strictly a religious holiday. Hard to believe today!
3. New York City’s St Patrick’s Day parade is the largest in the world. Hot Springs, Arkansas have the shortest.
4. The story that St Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland? Not true, as there never were any snakes in Ireland (as reptiles go, we still have certain types of lizards in Ireland!). Driving out the snakes is said to be symbolic and St Patrick drove “the old, evil pagan ways” out of Ireland converting them to Catholicism.
5. The stereotype that wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns and stops them from pinching you? Also not true, the leprechauns will still see you even if you wear green!