St. Patrick’s Day

St Patrick is the patron Saint of Ireland, and St. Patrick’s Day is usually celebrated on 17th March.

Unusually, in 2008 it was decided to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on 15th march.  In 2008 Easter falls particularly early, meaning that 17th March was the Monday of Holy Week.  It is regarded as inappropriate to celebrate a saint’s day on such an important day in the Christian calendar, so it was moved to the preceding Saturday.  The last time this happened was in 1940, and the next time it will occur will be 2160.

However since many St. Patricks day events were planned long before the decision was made, many St. Patrick’s day celebrations will still take place on 17th March as normal!

St. Patrick was a Christian missionary who was actually born in Roman Britain, probably during the second half of the fifth century, although his exact dates are unknown. At the age of sixteen he was captured by Irish raiders and taken to work as a slave in Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family.

He then went into the church, as had his father and grandfather, eventually becoming a bishop. Later, he returned to Ireland as a missionary.  Patrick had become the patron saint of Ireland by the eighth century.

Nowadays St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in every part of the world that the Irish have emigrated to.  The St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin is part of a five-day festival, and parades are held in many other Irish cities as well as in London, New York, Sydney, Birmingham, Munich and Savannah, Georgia.

Celebrations usually focus on the colour green and symbols of Irish culture and mythology, such as leprechauns and shamrocks. 

Fun Ideas for St. Patrick's Day
St. Patrick's Day Colouring Pictures

Boxty Recipe(Irish Potato Griddle Cakes)
"Being of the Irish persuasion, I offer this great recipe for Boxty. Boxty is a traditional Irish dish, and has been around for many a year. I especially like this dish with butter and a dollop of maple syrup for my breakfast..."

St. Patrick's Day Printables
Anagrams and wordsearch on a St. Patrick's day theme.

Family Holidays to Ireland
Perhaps the most important reason to choose ireland for a holiday is the warmth and friendlyness if the Irish people. Of course, Ireland has a history which dates back to ancient times, and another great reason to take a holiday in Ireland is to visit it's many ancient monuments and ruins.