Today is the day they say everyone is Irish — St. Patrick’s Day. If times were normal — meaning pre-pandemic — more than half (52%) of Americans plan some type of celebration on St. Patrick’s Day, and more than 82% of those celebrating will wear green. Billions (that’s a “B”) of dollars are typically spent on clothing, flags, green carnations, dining — and — beer.
We all know that March 17 isn’t St. Patrick’s birthday, it’s the day he died. He was born in 385 AD, but no one knows what day. We also know that he wasn’t born in Ireland. His parents were Romans living in England. We also know that he was never canonized by the Catholic Church and he never drove all the snakes our of Ireland.
Construction of New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral was begun in 1858, but construction was halted by the Civil War. The cathedral is located in an area now known as Midtown, but at the time, was far north of most of the population of Manhattan.
New York’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the country’s oldest and largest parade — it began 14 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Irish ancestry ranks second to only German among nationalities of Americans with European ancestry.
So we know a lot about St. Patrick and his day and it does’t bother us at all if everything we’ve heard over the years isn’t exactly true or accurate. Between their blessings, sayings, toasts, and proverbs, the Irish certainly know a thing or two about catchy, humorous, encouraging, and wise statements. Another of my favorites….
Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!
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