1) It’s St. Patrick’s Day. NOT ST. PATTY’S DAY!!…..It never was and never will be!
St Patty or St. Patricia, is venerated on August 25 th , was born in Constantinople and is the patron saint of Naples, Italy, and rumors have it, the patron saint of quality footwear.
2) The ‘official’ color of Ireland is blue, not green. Sometimes it’s called ‘St. Patrick’s Blue’
3) The official symbol/emblem of Ireland is the harp, not the shamrock and certainly not a 4 leaved clover.
4) Among the legends associated with St. Patrick is that he stood atop an Irish hillside
and banished snakes from Ireland—Sorry, it’s simply too cold as anyone can attest to,
if they’ve visited Ireland in December or July. It’s the same weather.
5) Corned beef and cabbage—is an American innovation. While ham and cabbage were
eaten in Ireland, corned beef offered a cheaper substitute in the USA. Hence the
reason why Murphy was so confused when he celebrated his first St. Patrick’s Day in
the USA in 1993. Everyone was telling him they were having corned beef and
cabbage for dinner, to which Murphy thought, ”Ok….good for you…what the hell is
that supposed to mean?”
6) The first recorded St Patrick’s Day celebration in the USA was in….
a) Boston
b) New York
c) Chicago
Answer: St Augustine, Spanish Florida in 1600 and the first parade was held there in
1601 thanks to the Irish priest in the garrison ‘Ricardo Artur’. Solid Irish name there!
7) Finally, St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish. He was born to Roman parents in Britain. Some
say Wales, some say Scotland. He was captured by Irish ‘Sea raiders/pirates’ and
brought back to Ireland as a slave. He escaped and came back to spread Christianity
and to ensure that no one EVER called it St. Patty’s Day!!