St. Patrick's Day Revealed

You've heard the story about the man, now let's get to the bottom of the day we set aside to celebrate St. Patrick, the day where EVERYONE is Irish.

Ask any reveler - St. Patrick's Day is all about a spectacular parade followed by hours of drinking and debauchery. That's true of all major US cities, and that's no surprise. There are more Americans of Irish origin than their are Irish in Ireland. That means 36,278,332 Americans — over 11.9% of total population—reported some Irish ancestry . To put that into perspective.... that's NINE TIMES the population of Ireland.

It seems like New York it the center of Irish-American culture - but that's not exactly the case. While it's true we have the largest NUMBER of residents claiming Irish heritage, the greatest concetration of Irish-Americans can be found in Massachusetts, where 23% of residents are of Irish decent. New Hampshire comes in second (20%) while Rhode Island is a close third with 18%.

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The most Irish town in America: Milton, MA, with 38% of its 26,000 or so residents being of Irish descent. Other suprising Irish strongholds: Butte, Montana and Greeley, Nebraska. This small town only has a population of 527 residents, but it has the highest percentage of Irish American residents (43%) of any town or city with a population of over 500 in the United States.

That's not to say New Yorkers are slacking. We lay claim to the largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the country, beginning on March 17, 1762. That's second only to Boston, the site of the first parade in America 25 years prior. Since then, other towns and cities from coast to coast are following our lead. Perhaps the most notable celebration takes place in Chicago, where officials dye the Chicago river green in honor of the bash.

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Ironically, Dublin's version of a St. Patrick's Day celebration is quite different than our own. March 17th is a National Holiday, a traditional day for spiritual renewal and prayer for missionaries world wide. The observance is a more subdued affair. Catholics attend mass and spend time reflecting before the celebrations begin. , Businesses across the country close in honor of the country's patron saint. Ironically, Dublin's parade only began 75 years ago and until 1995, all pubs and resturants remained closed. While revelry is now a signficant part of the Dublin celebration, religious observence is still the pillar of St. Patrick's Day. It should be noted, however, that close to a million people now take part in Dublin's festivities now that the drinking ban has been listed.

Before you pull out your St. Patty's gear, consider this. While green in an intrical part of the day today, it has nothing to do with Patrick himself. In fact, the color BLUE is associated with him. Irish legend warned that the color green was connected to fairies and leprachans, and doning too much green might force you to join the their ranks. It wasn't until the 19th century that green became he offical color or Ireland. The idea of wearing green comes from Irish school children, who would pinch friends who forgot to dress appropriately. DON'T TRY THIS ON THE STREETS OF MIDTOWN! What's cute in a classroom is considered a crime for adults.

As for the idea that "Everyone's Irish" on St. Paddy's Day, the residents of Irish have this to say:
"Everyone wants the luck of the Irish and no whit of our Troubles"!

For more information:
The American Irish
St. Patrick's Day Facts

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