It’s St. Patrick’s Day – the Day O’ My People. I claim Irish ancestry, but today everyone’s a little bit Irish. So, for all my Irish cousins out there, here are a few interesting facts about St. Patrick’s Day.
- Leprechauns are shoemakers by trade. You’ll know when you’re near one because you can hear the tap-tap-tap of their cobbler hammer.
- The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in New York in 1766.
- St. Patrick used the 3-leaf clover to teach Christianity to the pagan Irish. The three leaves represented the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all in one entity.
- St. Patrick was not Irish. He was Welsh.
- It’s no secret the Irish like their Guinness. But that love grows on St. Patrick’s Day, when consumption of the Irish stout doubles.
- Corned Beef and Cabbage is not really popular in Ireland. It is widely believed to be an American creation.
- The phrase “luck of the Irish” and “top of the morning” are both American inventions. “Luck of the Irish” comes from the gold rush days in response to the high number of successful miners who were of Irish descent. “Top of the morning” is a product of Hollywood.
