Happy St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day is actually the celebration of the death of this Irish saint who was really Welsh – or in what is today know as Wales - by birth. His birth is estimated to have been about 389 AD. He was brought to Ireland as a slave at the age if 16. He is the patron saint of Ireland and the Irish.

After some six years of slavery he escaped to France where he became a monk. In 432 AD he returned to Ireland as a missionary bishop. He brought Christianity to Ireland and taught there for 29 years. The legend says that he used the shamrock, Ireland's national flower, to explain the Blessed Trinity. St. Patrick is said to have founded hundreds of churches and baptized thousands of people.

The first official celebration St. Patrick's Day with a Parade was actually in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English army marched in New York City. Later in 1848 several Irish groups in the United States organized the St. Patrick’s Day parade, as we know it today, in New York City. Now many large cities have big parades, etimates are over 100. Chicago and Boston are some of the largest outside of New York .

Fun Facts:

It is estimated that over 36 million Americans have Irish ancestry.

Leprechaun’s are a purely American invention and have nothing to do with St. Patrick

Corned Beef and Cabbage is the traditional meal For St. Patrick’s Day

Pubs in Ireland used to be closed on St. Patrick’s Day