St Patricks Day in Ireland

The holiday St. Patricks Day is celebrated many places. But if you are ever in Ireland on March 17, it will seem very different. Every year there is a awesome festival in Dublin that starts on March 15-March 19. First before I tell you about the festival I will give you the history behind the holiday.

Saint Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland. He is the one credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. This is the only national holiday in Ireland, and we take it very seriously. We do not know a whole lot about him because, the history and legend that is said about him is hard to separate. Some say that he was responsible for driving the snakes out of Ireland but no one really knows. Most say that he died on .March 17, and that is why we celebrate him on that day.

The festival in Dublin is the biggest annual event in the country providing entertainment for all interests and ages. There are 4000 performers, 1.5 million spectators! There are so many different activities like the parade remembering our Irish culture, and so many others things like music, theatre, family carnivals, comedy, street arts, visual arts, dance, a treasure hunt and so much more! The St. Patrick's Festival was set up in November 1995. It has become such a big event that the first St Patrick's Festival used to take only 5 months, but with the growth of the Festival, it now takes 18 months to plan for Ireland's biggest annual celebration. One thing that all the children love is when they dye some of the rivers green. It is always a fun holiday for us and one that we always celebrate. If you plan on attending this fun and historical holiday where green!

Fact of the Day: In 1845, before the Potato Famine, more than a third of the Irish population relied almost exclusively on potatoes for food. The average worker ate up to 6 kilograms of potatoes a day. Even today, the we eat more potatoes per capita than the people of any other European country.