| Why you |
St Patrick’s day 2024, Sunday 17th March, and for those Ireland rugby fans out there you have more than just St Patrick’s day this weekend to celebrate after your win against Scotland, although I can’t think of a more worthy team to lose against (well, we are all Celts after all).
When it was being discussed in the office who should write the upcoming St Patrick’s day article for social media there wasn’t much to think about, I mean with a surname like O’Sullivan it seemed I was the right woman for the job. I’ve always been proud to declare that I am half Irish (Angela, that’s the daft half my dad would tell me, can’t beat Irish humour!) In fact my dad had told me that all the Irish jokes were originally invented by the Irish as they had no qualms about getting in there first to poke fun at themselves but how much did I really know about St Patrick I thought as I started to write this article. Not much at all it seems after a quick google search. So for those not in the know, like myself, here are some surprising St Patricks day facts to ponder over whilst enjoying your Guiness this Sunday:
- He wasn’t actually Irish – He was actually born in Britain and didn’t step foot in Ireland until he was 16. There are many conflicting theories about where he was actually born – some historians believe it was Southern Scotland, while others argue he originated from Cumbria or even Wales.
- Patrick was not his original name – Patrick, or Patricus as the name would have appeared at the time, is the name that he took on as he was ordained and began his religious work. The meaning of Patricus in Latin is ‘nobleman’. His birth name was in fact Maewyn Succat.
- Green was not the colour he actually wore – Contrary to popular belief the colour St Patrick wore was not green, but blue. Despite this, green is commonly thought of as the colour that represents Ireland’s patron saint. This is likely due to the importance the colour green holds for Irish people, the landscape, the colour of the shamrock and the green in Ireland’s flag. There’s also a superstition that, if you don’t wear green on St Patrick’s day, you’ll get pinched by a leprechaun.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day
And I’ll leave you with that thought whilst this superstitious half Irish woman rummages through her wardrobe for anything resembling the colour green.
Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit!