That lovely day of green beer and drinking songs is upon us again. Yes, today is St. Paddy’s Day, when everyone is Irish and proud of it. However you’re choosing to celebrate this wonderful day, either by taking in a parade, enjoying a few Irish diddies, or having a nice beverage or two at your local pub, we hope you enjoy it safely and responsibly.
To help mark the day, here’s a few St. Patrick’s Day facts to share with your friends over a pint. Cheers!
1. The hero of the day, Saint Patrick, is in fact a real person, but despite the common perception, he was not Irish but in fact Welsh.
2. As legend goes, Saint Patrick was the one responsible for ridding Ireland of all the snakes. That would have been a fairly easy job as historians have concluded that there likely were never any snakes in Ireland.
3. His famous symbol, the three-leaf clover, was in fact something he often wore to help preach the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).
4. The estimated odds of finding a three-leaf clover are 1/10,000. So, not impossible.
5. The original colour of St. Paddy’s Day was blue.
6. An estimated 4,354,000 Canadians are of full or partial Irish descent or 14% of the country’s total population. It’s the fourth largest ethnic group in the country.
7. Canada’s first St. Paddy’s parade was held in Montreal in 1824.
8. New York City has world’s largest St. Paddy’s parade with over 2 million spectators every year.
9. There are more Irish people in the USA than there are in Ireland.
10. Dripsey in County Cork held the record to world’s shortest St. Paddy’s day parade. The whole thing was 77 feet long—the distance between two neighbouring pubs.
11. It’s estimated that roughly 11 million pints of Guisness are consumed around the world on March 17.
12. Until 1970, Saint Patrick’s Day was a religious holiday—which means pubs were closed.