St. Patrick’s Day gives Ireland recognition the world over for one day each year. However, there is a lot about the Saint and the day that people don’t know. Here are the top 10.
1. St. Patrick wasn’t actually from Ireland, he was from somewhere in Scotland or Wales (his actual birthplace is disputed).
2. Patrick used the native shamrock as a symbol of the holy trinity when preaching and brought the Latin alphabet to Ireland.
3. Miracles attributed to him include the driving of all the snakes out of Ireland. However, evidence suggests post-glacial Ireland never had any snakes in the first place.
4. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade didn’t take place in Ireland, but in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737.
5. Wearing green, eating green food and even drinking green beer, is said to commemorate St Patrick’s use of the shamrock – although blue was the original colour of his vestments.
