St. Patrick’s Day History: These bits of info have been gleaned from various sources on the internets. Just something to think about while you hoist that green beer on March 17th. St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Many cities have a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, has a huge St. Patrick’s Day festival from March 15-19 that features a parade, family carnivals, treasure hunt, dance, theatre and more. In North America, parades are often held on the Sunday before March 17. Some paint the yellow street lines green for the day! In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green with a special dye that only lasts a few hours. There has been a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston, Massachusetts since 1737. Montreal is home to Canada’s longest running St. Patrick’s Day parade, which began in 1824. Facts about Saint Patrick: St. Patrick was born in 385 AD somewhere along the west coast of Britain, possibly in the Welsh town of Banwen. At age 16, he was captured and sold into slavery to a sheep farmer. He escaped when he was 22 and spent the next 12 years in a monastery. In his 30s he returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. He died at Saul in 461 AD and is buried at Downpatrick. Historians believe St. Patrick’s real name was “Maewyn Succat.” St. Patrick introduced the Roman alphabet and Latin literature into Ireland. After his death, Irish monasteries became Europe’s leading intellectual centers. Irish Canadians:Irish Canadians are immigrants and descendants of immigrants who originated in Ireland. 1.2 million Irish immigrants arrived, 1825 to 1970, half in the 1830-1840 period. By 1867, they were the second largest ethnic group (after the French), and comprised 24% of Canada’s population. Most of the immigrants were Protestant, not Catholic, as the Catholic Irish after 1850 usually headed to the U.S., England, Australia and Scotland. By 1931 there were 1,230,000 Canadians of Irish descent, half of whom lived in Ontario. In Canada as a whole in 1931, two-thirds (68.7%) were Protestants, with Catholics in the majority in the Maritimes. The 2006 census by Statistics Canada, Canada’s Official Statistical office revealed that the Irish were the 4th largest ethnic group with 4,354,000 Canadians with full or partial Irish descent or 14% of the country’s total population. End of history lesson.

St. Patrick’s Day History:

These bits of info have been gleaned from various sources on the internets. Just something to think about while you hoist that green beer on March 17th.

St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Many cities have a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, has a huge St. Patrick’s Day festival from March 15-19 that features a parade, family carnivals, treasure hunt, dance, theatre and more. In North America, parades are often held on the Sunday before March 17. Some paint the yellow street lines green for the day! In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green with a special dye that only lasts a few hours. There has been a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston, Massachusetts since 1737. Montreal is home to Canada’s longest running St. Patrick’s Day parade, which began in 1824.

Facts about Saint Patrick:

  • St. Patrick was born in 385 AD somewhere along the west coast of Britain, possibly in the Welsh town of Banwen. At age 16, he was captured and sold into slavery to a sheep farmer. He escaped when he was 22 and spent the next 12 years in a monastery. In his 30s he returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. He died at Saul in 461 AD and is buried at Downpatrick.
  • Historians believe St. Patrick’s real name was “Maewyn Succat.”
  • St. Patrick introduced the Roman alphabet and Latin literature into Ireland. After his death, Irish monasteries became Europe’s leading intellectual centers.


Irish Canadians:

Irish Canadians are immigrants and descendants of immigrants who originated in Ireland. 1.2 million Irish immigrants arrived, 1825 to 1970, half in the 1830-1840 period. By 1867, they were the second largest ethnic group (after the French), and comprised 24% of Canada’s population. Most of the immigrants were Protestant, not Catholic, as the Catholic Irish after 1850 usually headed to the U.S., England, Australia and Scotland. By 1931 there were 1,230,000 Canadians of Irish descent, half of whom lived in Ontario. In Canada as a whole in 1931, two-thirds (68.7%) were Protestants, with Catholics in the majority in the Maritimes. The 2006 census by Statistics Canada, Canada’s Official Statistical office revealed that the Irish were the 4th largest ethnic group with 4,354,000 Canadians with full or partial Irish descent or 14% of the country’s total population.

End of history lesson.

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