March 17th
It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents
near the end of the fourth century. 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. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away
from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace,
becoming a devout Christian.
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. Suddenly, annual St.
Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as
well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948,
President Truman attended New York City 's St. Patrick's Day parade, a
proud moment for the many Irish whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes
and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America. 
St. Patrick's Day is
Ireland's greatest national holiday as well as a holy day. The date marks
the anniversary of the death of the missionary who became the patron saint
of Ireland. It is a happy holiday for the Irish wherever they may be - in
Dublin, New York City, Boston, or San Francisco. The day celebrated with
parades, speeches, festive dinners, and dances. Green is the color of the
day, with thousands of little cloth shamrocks worn even by those whose
forefathers never touched the shores of Ireland.
Leprechauns are little make-believe fairies from Ireland. They are the little old men who are shoemakers for the fairies. They usually stand about 2 feet tall. Treasure hunters can often track down a leprechaun by the sound of his shoemaker's hammer. The legend is that if you catch one you can force him to tell you where he hides his gold.
The Luck Of The Irish
Finding a four-leaf
clover
The wearing of the green
Kissing the blarney stone
Blarney Stone
Blarney stone The Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower in the Irish village of Blarney. Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence. The legend says that an old woman cast a spell on the stone to reward a king who had saved her from drowning. Kissing the stone while under the spell gave the king the ability to speak sweetly and convincingly. It's difficult reach the stone. Kissers have to lie on their back and bend backward or downward, holding iron bars for support.
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celebration monastery Ireland legend ribbons fairy tricky vanish |
Saint born dye captured snakes pinched mischief pot of gold |
slave angel green eye miracles parades shamrocks
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St. Patrick’s Day St. Patrick’s Day is a _______________ honoring Saint Patrick. People wear _____________ colored clothing and some women wear green ____________ in their hair. People who don’t wear green clothing get _______________ as a punishment. People also wear ______________, which are a symbol of Ireland. As well, there are ____________ on the streets and sometimes people ______________ the rivers green.
Saint Patrick____________ Patrick is the patron saint of ______________. According to _____________, Saint Patrick was ______________ in Britain and then _______________ by pirates and sold as a _______________ in Ireland. He escaped with the help of an _____________ and then lived in a ____________ for twelve years before going back to Ireland. When he returned to Ireland he performed many ______________. According to one myth, Saint Patrick got rid of all of the ________________ in Ireland.
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LeprechaunsA leprechaun is an Irish ____________. They are very ____________ and like to make ______________. If you catch a leprechaun, they can tell you where a ___________________ is. But be careful, If you take your ____________ off of them for an instant, they _________________. |
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Find the answers to these history questions with the information given above or at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~fianna/history/
1. When did St Patrick arrive in Ireland?
2. What happened in 800?
3. What began in 1167-9?
4. When did Henry VIII declare himself king of Ireland?
5. What happened in 1690?
6. When was the Easter Rising in Dublin?
http://islandireland.com/Pages/history.html
Historic figures
http://www.visitdublin.com/tourstrails.htm
Tours of Dublin
All about Guinness.
U2 fan site, includes lyrics.
A wealth of resources.
More about Joyce.
The name “Ireland” comes from ninth century Scandinavian invaders.
Saint Patrick has his own colour - Saint Patrick's Blue. Green came into use in the 19th century.
Saint Patrick’s symbol is the shamrock.
Saint Patrick's Day is a legal holiday in Ireland. Schools, post offices, and banks are closed.
Mass is attended in the morning followed by a parade nearly everywhere. Saint Patrick's Day is
the start of a three-day period of devotion.
Bread and fish are popular foods for the day. Guinness is, of course, a drink of major importance.
Saint Patrick's Day plays and concerts are performed in the afternoon.
Some of our modern musicians include (with external links) are
Official U2, Chris De Burgh, Christy Moore, WestLife, Boy Zone, Sinead O'Connor, Enya, Cranberries, Enya Mary Black, Van Morrison, Hot House Flowers...
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A man that can't laugh at himself should be given a mirror.
A man takes a drink; the drink takes a drink; the drink takes the man.
A narrow neck keeps the bottle from being emptied in one swig.
Morning is the time to pity the sober. The way they're feeling then is the best they're going to feel all day.
You can lead the horse to the well, but you can't make him drink.
Better the coldness of a friend than the sweetness of an enemy.
Be nice to them on the way up. You might meet them all on the way down.
If a man fools me once, shame on him. If he fools me twice, shame on me.
Let your anger set the sun and not rise again with it.
Many people will be eating Irish food such as Irish Stew and Corned Beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. Corned Beef is not an Irish dish. It is what Americans think the Irish eat. A more traditional meal would be ham and cabbage or bacon and cabbage. Some say that in Ireland on St. Patrick's Day the traditional green beer is prominent. However, in Ireland, many years ago, St. Patrick's Day is considered a holy day and Pubs were not open for business. There were no parades, no drinking or wearing green. Green was considered an unlucky color.
Irish Coffee
| 1 shot Irish
Whiskey 1 tbsp Sugar 6 oz. Coffee Whipped Cream for garnish
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| Pre-warm a
stemmed glass. Add the whiskey. Add the sugar and stir in the coffee. Float the whipped cream on top. Drink the coffee through the cream. Do not stir after adding the cream. |
