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Top ten facts you never knew about St. Patrick’s Day



Did you ever wonder how much you actually know about Ireland’s biggest national holiday? Here are the top ten facts you may have not known about St. Patrick's Day St. Patrick was not Irish. He was from Wales. - Google Images The Shamrock - The humble shamrock was originally a teaching tool. St. Patrick is said to have used the three-leaved plant to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) to the pagan Irish - Google Images The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place in New York in 1766. - Google Images Blue was the color most often associated with St. Patrick for many years. Green was considered unlucky. St. Patrick’s blue was considered symbolic of Ireland for many centuries and the Irish Presidential Standard is still blue. - Google Images Dripsey, Co Cork - had the world’s shortest parade, just 23.4 metres (77 feet) between two pubs – The Weigh Inn and The Lee Valley. - Google Images In 2010, the Sydney Opera House went green to mark the 200 year anniversary of St. Patrick’s Day. - Google Images Irish flee on Ireland on March 17th! Many public figures, musicians and dancers have travelled abroad to work on lucrative gigs elsewhere. Politicians also travel to drum up trade. - Google Images In Chicago every year, the Plumbers Local 110 union dyes the river “Kelly” green for St. Patrick's Day. The dye lasts for about five hours. Traditionally, every year, the Irish leader hands a crystal bowl of shamrocks over to the US President. The shamrock grown in Kerry is immediately destroyed by the Secret Service after the exchange. Guinness sales soar on St. Patrick’s Day. Recent figures show that 5.5 million pints of the black stuff are downed around the world every day. On St. Patrick’s Day that figure is doubled.

Topics: St. Patrick's Day , New York City , Chicago , Irish roots , Irish culture , Irish customs , Top Ten


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