St. Patrick’s Day

March 16, 2015

• Topical

It’s that time of year again: the time to crack open a bottle of whiskey, dust off the forest-green suit, make a necklace out of shamrocks and pretty much appropriate every Irish stereotype under the sun. Oh, and probably get (responsibly) drunk.

Yes, it’s St. Patrick’s day, the day tutors are called out in full force to do emergency evening sessions so that parents can have a social life, St. Patrick’s Day. But where do all these symbols come from? Why the heck is a shamrock the national emblem of Ireland? Here at Kings Tutors we took a trip down the merry lanes of Irish history to find out.

St. Patrick himself is something of a mystery and no-one is quite sure exactly when he was working miracles in Ireland. In fact, many of the traditions attached to Patrick were actually the work of another priest, Palladius. Nevertheless, it is known that he was operating at some point in the second half of the fifth century; he was taken from his home in Britain at the age of 16 and sold in slavery in Ireland, but then managed to escape back to his family and become a cleric, whereupon he returned to Ireland to carry out his religious duties. Talk about work experience.

There are a number of legends associated with St. Patrick, although most of them are of dubious validity. The symbol of the shamrock is linked to him because he reportedly used it as a parable to explain the concept of the Trinity, and some say that whilst fasting on a hilltop he was attacked by a snake, so he drove all the snakes into the sea, which is why you won’t find any in Ireland today. This is probably a metaphor about driving out paganism, but it’s nice to dream that old Paddy was a master snake-charmer.

That’s not all for misconceptions about St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland. You might also not know that:

• The day was not always associated with green, for instance: the Order of St. Patrick originally chose blue, because dark green was already taken. It wasn’t until Irish rebels started wearing clovers as a sigil that green caught on as the colour of Ireland.
• When Arthur Guinness bought his now-famous brewery in Dublin in 1759, he secured a lease that would last for 9,000 years
• Soda bread, a popular St. Patrick’s Day treat, is traditionally cut with a cross before eating – this is done to ward off the devil!
• The Celtic harp is the national symbol of Ireland (and of Guinness!), making the country the only one with a musical instrument for a national emblem

Now that you’re fully prepped to dazzle your friends with St. Patrick’s Day related trivia, go out and have some old-fashioned Irish fun (hint: it involves catching a leprechaun).

Let us know what you are doing to celebrate St. Patrick’s day?