10 Fun Facts I Bet You Didn't Know About #StPatricksDay




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Did you know...

1. St. Patrick was not Irish. 
He was born in either Scotland or Wales. At the young age of 16 he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and sold into slavery. He spent six years herding sheep in Ireland before escaping. 

2. Legend has it, St Patrick drove all of the snakes out of Ireland. 

3. St. Patrick's day was a 'dry' holy day of remembrance in Ireland until 1970. 

4. Your odds of finding a four leaf clover are about 1 and 10,000.

5. The phrase, "Drowning The Shamrock" is from the custom of floating a shamrock on the top of whiskey before drinking it. The Irish believe that if you keep the custom, then you will have a prosperous year.

6. Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: Hope, Faith, Love and Luck.

7. There are more Irish in the US than Ireland. 


An estimated 33.7 million people living in the US are of Irish decent. That is NINE times the total population of Ireland! 

8.  No one is really sure where St. Patrick is buried. The site with the strongest claim is at Down Cathedral, where a large slab of rock on which the word "Patric" is inscribed.
St. Patrick died on March 17, 461 AD

9. The custom of celebrating St. Patrick's Day began in America in 1737.

10. An estimated 13 MILLION pints of Guinness are consumed on St. Patricks day!




Bonus Fact: Ever Wonder how they dye the Chicago River GreenThe dyeing of the Chicago River dates to 1962, when Mayor Richard J. Daley and Stephen M. Bailey, a boyhood friend and then-St. Patrick's Day parade chairman, started the tradition. Today by boat, three men use flour sifters to dump about 40 pounds of an environmentally friendly orange powder into the river. The formula for the powder, which turns the water bright green when it hits, is top-secret.




An Irish Toast: 
May your glass be ever full.
       May the roof over your head be always strong.
                       And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.


   From My family to yours, I hope you have a safe and wonderful day! 

April is an award-winning writer and blogger. Her work has been published in over ten countries and four languages. From books to newspapers, to print/online magazines and everything in between, you can find her work. For more on April, Visit AprilMcCormick.com