St Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day commemorates the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The holiday has evolved into a celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, drinking and a whole lot of green.

One Way We Celebrate

Eric’s Seanathair, Frank or “Mac” as he was known, was in sales. On St Patrick’s day, everyone who came to visit him had to drink Irish Whisky with him. One year Maimeó decided to dye the whisky green — you could really tell who had visited Mac that year! So, keeping up the family tradition, Eric loves to share Irish Whisky or Irish Coffee with people who come to visit the store on St. Patrick’s Day! And, in the past, we have then adjourned and headed over to the Mucky Duck to celebrate with EJ Jones and other bands.

See if you can find Eric’s Grandparents in this photo…

The History of St. Patrick’s Day

The story of St. Patrick’s Day begins with the legend of the man himself—an actual person who lived more than 1,000 years ago. In the fifth century, a British man named Patrick had a vision of himself visiting Ireland and bringing Christianity to the people there.

The story goes that he traveled throughout Ireland, using a shamrock (or a three-leaf clover) to explain the Holy Trinity: Each of the clover’s leaves represented the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (This is why shamrocks are the national flower of Ireland, and why they’re used in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations to this day.)

When St. Patrick died on March 17, 461, his death date became a national religious holiday in Ireland. Families would go to church in the morning and then celebrate for the rest of the day. The holiday typically falls during Lent, but the restrictions would be lifted for the day, so the Irish people celebrated by eating corned beef and drinking beer—a tradition that’s now used to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all over the world.

More than 1,000 years later, the tradition of St. Patrick’s Day parades began, although interestingly, it began in America, not in Ireland. Irish soldiers serving in the army held a march on St. Patrick’s Day in New York City in 1772, and since then most major cities in America have adopted the tradition of hosting a St. Patrick’s Day parade. The largest celebrations outside Ireland are the parades held in New York City and Boston.

Today, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated mostly in Ireland, the United States, Canada, and Australia, although Japan, Singapore, and Russia also hold small celebrations.

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