Whether Irish or not, millions of people around the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with parades, toasts, and “the wearing of the green.” Here are some fun facts about St. Patrick’s Day, from Dr. Paul Styrt and our great team. Enjoy!
• 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 also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history.
• The name “lephrechaun” has several origins. It could be from the Irish Gaelic word “leipreachan,” which means “a kind of aqueous sprite.” Or, it could be from “leath bhrogan,” which means “shoemaker.”
• Some American towns have “Irish” names. They include: Mount Gay-Shamrock, West Virginia; Shamrock Lakes, Indiana; Shamrock, Oklahoma; Shamrock, Texas; Dublin, California and Dublin, Ohio.
• St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in America in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737. Approximately 34 million Americans claim Irish ancestry. That’s almost nine times the population of Ireland, which has about 4.1 million people.
• Despite what you may have heard, St. Patrick never banished snakes from Ireland. In fact, no snakes exist or ever existed there. Ireland is surrounded by icy ocean waters, much too cold to allow snakes to migrate from Britain or anywhere else.