St. Paddy's day

[LisaD]

Anyone got a great lesson about the history of St. Patricks Day? it would be fun to post some ideas (just in time for the green!)

Lisa

[garyafcb]

Sorry - can't help.
But it always makes me smile when StPatrick is put up as the epitome of a national saint -
when he was actually Scottish!!

[Charlotte]

I think you'll find he was Welsh! +wave+

[garyafcb]

I think you'll find he was Welsh! +wave+

Nah!!!!!

http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/patrick_saint.htm

[Charlotte]

Afraid so!!!
... St Patrick was Welsh! :eek: Imagine that. The patron Saint of Ireland wasn't even Irish. In fact St Patrick's name was Maewyn Succat. He was born into a Christian family in Wales in the year 415AD. When the young Patrick was 16 he was kidnapped by an Irish pirate who took him to what is present day Co Antrim in Northern Ireland. (http://www.iol.ie/~aidancbs/comenius/pat/)

[Dug]

If you lot've got nothing better to do... What about St George (English?), St Andrew (Scottish?), St David (Welsh?), St Michael (M&S?)

[Peter Lambert]

...and of course St. Mark of Blackburn Rovers ;)

[Peter Lambert]

Afraid so!!!
... St Patrick was Welsh! :eek: Imagine that. The patron Saint of Ireland wasn't even Irish. In fact St Patrick's name was Maewyn Succat. He was born into a Christian family in Wales in the year 415AD. When the young Patrick was 16 he was kidnapped by an Irish pirate who took him to what is present day Co Antrim in Northern Ireland. (http://www.iol.ie/~aidancbs/comenius/pat/)

:rolleyes: NO! Definitely not St Taffy. It was probably Northern England :eek: :
St Patrick was born a Briton under Roman rule - the exact location of his birthplace isn't known but it was either the north of England or southern Scotland.
http://www.saint-patrick.com/history/
north of England or southern Scotland.
Here's a topic starter for Lisa (attached)

[Peter Lambert]

I have copied and pasted this interesting history of the holiday:

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for thousands of years.
On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.
The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.
Over the next thirty-five years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished, prompting the rise of so-called "Irish Aid" societies, like the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society. Each group would hold annual parades featuring bagpipes (which actually first became popular in the Scottish and British armies) and drums.
No Irish Need Apply
Up until the mid-nineteenth century, most Irish immigrants in America were members of the Protestant middle class. When the Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, close to a million poor, uneducated, Catholic Irish began to pour into America to escape starvation. Despised for their religious beliefs and funny accents by the American Protestant majority, the immigrants had trouble finding even menial jobs. When Irish Americans in the country 's cities took to the streets on St. Patrick's Day to celebrate their heritage, newspapers portrayed them in cartoons as drunk, violent monkeys.
However, the Irish soon began to realize that their great numbers endowed them with a political power that had yet to be exploited. They started to organize, and their voting block, known as the "green machine," became an important swing vote for political hopefuls. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Truman attended New York City 's St. Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America.
Wearing of the Green Goes Global
Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore, and Russia.
In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world. Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland 's St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, and fireworks shows. ????

[caryn]

I found some good games sites for a bit of craic on St Patricks Day - where ever you believe him to be from at least you can have some fun!!
http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/st.patricksday/games.htm

http://resources.kaboose.com/games/patrick.html

http://akidsheart.com/holidays/stpat/stgames.htm


Happy St Paddy's Day