For those of us craving some "interesting" substance on occasion like say.... St. Pattys day here is what seems to be a good source.
St. Patrick's Day Trivia
We've collected, for your edification and amusement, a collection of St. Patrick's Day trivia. Some are obscure facts, some dispel long-held but false beliefs and some are just plain interesting. They're sure to be good conversation starters on St. Patrick's Day.
We've collected, for your edification and amusement, a collection of St. Patrick's Day trivia. Some are obscure facts, some dispel long-held but false beliefs and some are just plain interesting. They're sure to be good conversation starters on St. Patrick's Day.
If you seek more serious information on St. Patrick’s Day, check out StPatricksDayTraditions.com.
Don't Believe Everything You Hear
Starting our list of interesting St. Patrick's Day trivia are those myths and legends known affectionately as blarney in Ireland:
St. Patrick did not drive the snakes out of Ireland. They probably never had snakes on the Emerald Isle in the first place. "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" isn't a popular Irish ballad. It was composed by an American. St. Patrick is not the quintessential Irishman. He was born in Wales. In fact, he wasn't even particularly Christian until after his six-year exile in Ireland. The shamrock isn't a real plant. Rather, the plant is a type of clover that grows in Ireland. Leprechauns aren't cute little sprites. They're evil, mean-spirited little creatures that perform treacherous deceptions to keep you away from that pot of gold. The national symbol of Ireland is the Celtic harp, not the shamrock.
St. Patrick's Day Trivia for Number Lovers
America has a long history of Irish immigration, with most of our Irish ancestors coming to our eastern shores during the Irish potato famine in the mid-1840s. Here are a few facts about those ancestors and their descendants:
Since 1820, almost 5 million Irish citizens have immigrated to the U.S. legally. Almost 34 million current U.S. residents claim some Irish ancestry. The largest concentrations of Americans with Irish ancestry are in Massachusetts (Middlesex and Norfolk counties). A total of nine American towns are called Dublin, with the largest in California. In Delaware, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the leading ancestry group is Irish. U.S. Presidents with Irish ancestry include John Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. In Canada, statesman Thomas D'Arcy McGee and recent Prime Minister Brian Mulroney were of Irish descent. About 30% of Australians claim Irish ancestry. During the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s, 75% of Irish immigrants landed in New York.
More St. Patrick's Day Trivia
Here are some more tidbits that you can use to quiz your friends:
St. Patrick's Day parades have a history that goes back hundreds of years, but didn't originate in Ireland. The parade in Dublin has a scant 50-year history, while those in Montreal and New York City go back almost 200 and 300 years respectively. Since 1980, the Irish president has presented a shamrock to the U.S. President in a White House ceremony held annually around St. Patrick's Day. Until her death in 2002, the Queen Mother presented a bowl of shamrocks to the Irish Guards, a regiment of the British Army. Irish gays and lesbians are banned from marching in the Dublin St. Patrick's Day parade.
Corned beef and cabbage is not a favorite St. Patrick's Day dish in Ireland. It's an American dish. The Irish prefer ham or bacon. Some very famous authors were Irish. Did you know that James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, William Butler Yeats, Jonathan Swift and Oscar Wilde were all Irish?
