The History of St. Patrick's Day

Ireland• is an island to the northwest of

continental Europe. • It is the third-largest island in Europe

and the twentieth-largest island on Earth

• To its east is the larger island of Great Britain, from which it is separated by the Irish Sea.

• Politically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers just under five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remainder and is located in the northeast of the island.

• The population of Ireland is approximately 6.4 million.

• Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just under 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.

Provinces of Ireland

• In ancient times, Ireland was divided into provinces, each ruled by a King. These provinces were dynamic and their borders changed all the time.

• Today, when Irish talk about the provinces of Ireland, they mean

• Leinster, • Ulster, • Munster • Connaught.

Counties of Ireland• Ireland was divided up into

counties by the English crown around 400 years ago.

• Since then, the counties have remained largely unchanged. In Northern Ireland they survive merely as curiosities - not having any actual purpose any more.

• In the Republic of Ireland, however, these historic divisions are still used as the basis of local government.

• The map below shows the 32 counties in the island of Ireland (26 in the Republic of Ireland and 6 in Northern Ireland) as well as some of the major towns (in italics).

People of Ireland

• The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years. The Irish people's earliest ancestors are recorded in legends - they are claimed to be descended from groups such as the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Celts.

Who was St. Patrick?• St. Patrick, the patron saint of

Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery.

• It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D.

• At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity.

Who was St. Patrick?• After more than six years as a

prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice-which he believed to be God's-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.

• Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish.

St. Patrick• Familiar with the Irish

language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs.

• For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire.

• He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish.

History of the Holiday• St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast

day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. • The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for

thousands of years.• On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season

of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon.

• Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.

History of the Holiday•

In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17.

• Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world.

• Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland 's St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, and fireworks shows.

St. Patrick’s Day paradeAlong with their music, the parade helped the soldiers reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as with fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.

• It has just been recently that it was a celebration day in Ireland

• Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

• Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore, and Russia.

Parade around the world

NY

Chicago

Japan

Boston

Parade around the world2Singapore Russia

Belfast

London

More St. Patrick’s picturesGreece Beijing

South Africa

Morocco

Croagh Patrick• Croagh Patrick stands at 2,510 feet

at the southern shore of Clew Bay, close to to the town of Westport. It is one of the highest mountains in the region.

• Croagh Patrick has been considered a sacred, spiritual mountain to people of Ireland as far back as 3,000BC, when our ancestors worshipped the Celtic god Lugh on its slopes.

Thousands of people still flock to this majestic mountain on ‘Reek Sunday’ at the end of July each year to follow in the footsteps of our Patron Saint Patrick, where it is said that he fasted for forty days. This ancient pilgrimage trail is known as Tochair Phádraig.

• The name ‘Croagh Patrick’ comes from the Irish Cruach Phádraig, meaning ‘(Saint) Patrick’s staff’. Another word used for staff is ‘reek’, thus giving the name ‘Reek Sunday’ to the annual pilgrimage day to the mountain.

• Mweelrea is the highest mountain in Co. Mayo, and indeed in Connacht, at 2,670 ft.

• The name has its origins in the Irish Cnoc Maol Réidh, meaning ‘smooth bald hill’.

• It overlooks Killary Harbour, which is one of only two fjords in Ireland.

Irish Legends• Patrick made the snakes leave

Ireland.

• Leprechauns are little, magic people that grant wishes.

• There is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

The Leprechaun• The original Irish name for these

figures of folklore is "lobaircin," meaning "small-bodied fellow.“

• Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. Though only minor figures in Celtic folklore, leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure.

Leprechaun• Leprechauns had nothing to

do with St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, a Catholic holy day. In 1959, Walt Disney released a film called Darby O'Gill & the Little People, which introduced America to a very different sort of leprechaun than the cantankerous little man of Irish folklore. This cheerful, friendly leprechaun is a purely American invention, but has quickly evolved into an easily recognizable symbol of both St. Patrick's Day and Ireland in general.

The Shamrock• In fact the first written mention of this story did

not appear until nearly a thousand years after Patrick's death.

• The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.

Converted Many Irish to Christianity

He used the Shamrock as an example of the Trinity.

FatherFather

Jesus Jesus (Son)(Son)

Holy Holy SpiritSpirit

One GodOne God