Few
interesting St. Patrick’s Day facts!
· Saint Patrick didn’t wear green. His colour was “Saint Patrick’s blue.” The colour green became associated with St. Patrick’s Day after it was linked to the Irish independence movement in the late 18th century.
· Despite his Irish notoriety, Saint Patrick was British. He was born to Roman parents in Scotland or Wales in the late fourth century.
· According to Irish legend, Saint Patrick used the shamrock as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity when he was first introducing Christianity to Ireland.
· Saint Patrick is credited for driving the snakes out of Ireland, but according to the fossil record, Ireland has never been home to snakes as it was too cold to host reptiles during the Ice Age. The surrounding seas have kept snakes out since.
· There isn’t any corn in the traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal of corned beef and cabbage. The name is a reference to the large grains of salt historically used to cure meats, which were also known as “corns.”
· Saint Patrick was born “Maewyn Succat” but changed his name to “Patricius” after becoming a priest.