Momentum is building for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Cork city

The annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations kick off in Cork city this coming weekend. Throughout 14^th-17^th of March the city is guaranteed to be a hive of activity and buzzing with culture.The organisers of the St. Patrick’s celebration in Cork city have prepared an excellent schedule of events that will appeal to all ages. We encourage our students to take part in the festivities and to check out the many free events that are taking place.

A full programme of events is available on the following website link

http://www.corkstpatricksfestival.ie/

 Our pick of all the activities is the St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 17^th. The parade sees thousands of spectators line the streets and entertained by a range of theatrical groups, international bands and various art and community groups.

 

 Today St. Patrick’s Day around the world is mostly associated with parades, wacky green hats, shamrocks and Guinness! This modern take differs hugely from the historical religious celebration of Ireland’s patron saint. We have decided to inform you of some of the lesser known facts about St. Patrick.

 

 

1. Patrick wasn’t actually Irish. He was Welsh.
2. Patrick was actually a slave. He was kidnapped by raiders from the coast of Wales and brought to Ireland.
3. Legend says that St. Patrick drove all the snakes from Ireland. However, there were no snakes in Ireland.
4. The original colour associated with St. Patrick is blue, not green as commonly believed.
5. The Shamrock is not the symbol of Ireland, it is the harp.
6. The very first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in Boston in 1737. It was organised by a group of Irish emigrants who wanted to commemorate their heritage.
7. It’s unlikely that St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland. The first Christian mission to Ireland, for which we have definite and reliable data, was that of St. Palladius.
8. Patrick’s Day was a dry holiday in Ireland until 1970. Today apart from the colour green, the activity most associated with St. Patrick’s Day is drinking. However, Irish law, from 1903 to 1970, declared St. Patrick’s Day a religious observance. That meant no alcohol was served throughout the day. The law was overturned in 1970, when St. Patrick’s Day was reclassified as a national holiday and not a church holiday.
9. Guinness sells about 5.5 million pints of Guinness on any given day, however that figure rises to an astounding 13 million on St. Patrick’s Day.

 

All the team at ACET wish you a great weekend and we hope that you enjoy the festivities!