St Patricks Day in Ireland

St. Patricks Day in Ireland is celebrated each year on March 17th, on the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. This day has been observed as a religious holiday for over 1000 years. People all over the world celebrate and wear green on this day with parades taking place from Dublin to New York and all the way in Sydney Australia.

Who was St. Patrick?

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, although he did not always live in Ireland . He was born in Britain and didn’t arrive in Ireland until he was 16 years old when he was kidnapped and brought over as a slave. He later escaped but returned to Ireland and he is credited with bringing Christianity to its people. By the time of his death on March 17th in 461, he had established monasteries churches and schools. There are many legends that are associated with St. Patrick such as he drove all the snakes out of Ireland, and he also used the shamrock to explain the Trinity.

Celebrating St. Patricks Day 

At the beginning those in Ireland would celebrate St.Patricks Day with religious services and feasts and was seen as a spiritual occasion. Up until the 1970’s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17^th. This was eventually changed in 1995 as the Irish government hoped to raise more interest in St. Patricks Day to showcase Ireland and Irish culture to the rest of the world.

It is reported that the first St. Patricks Day parade took place in 1601 in a Spanish colony in what is now St.Augustine, Florida. From here the popularity of St. Patricks day parades has grown. Although some the largest parades take place in North America, St Patricks Day is celebrated around the world in many locations far from Ireland such as Japan, Australia, Singapore and Russia.

Fun Fact (Not Commonly Known!) Blue was originally the colour that was associated with St.Patricks Day festivities and it wasn’t until the 18^th century that green was introduced when the shamrock became a national symbol of Ireland. With the shamrocks popularity along with the colour of the Irish landscape the colour green stuck to the holiday.

Make sure you look out for many national monuments around the world turning green for St. Patricks Day such as The London Eye, Sydney Opera House and Niagara Falls to name a few.


Find out about St. Patricks Day at the Glenroyal Hotel by clicking HERE.