- St. Patrick was not Irish! In fact, he was born in Britain and was actually kidnapped at the age of 16 where he was sent to Ireland, and had a religious conversion to Christianity.
- Shamrocks originally symbolized the rebirth of spring, but as the English began to seize Irish land, many people wore the shamrock to symbolize their Irish pride and their discontent with English rule.
- Corned beef was not always associated with St. Patty’s day. Irish immigrants living on New York City’s Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money.
- St. Patty’s day is not just limited to Ireland. The US, Japan, New Zealand, Argentina, and Canada all take part in this green holiday!
- On St. Patrick’s Day 13 million pints of Guiness is sold around the world, in comparison to its usual 5.5 million on any other day.