Saint Patrick Day: March 17th

Origins -- Purpose -- Books & Online Databases -- Internet -- Suggested Activities

Origins

• 396 - possible birth date of Saint Patrick

• 432 - possible arrival of Patrick in Ireland

• March 17, 460 - also reported in 461 and 493 death of Patrick

Purpose

Saint Patrick's Day, observed on March 17, is Ireland's greatest national holiday as well as a holy day. The date marks the anniversary of the death of the missionary who became the patron saint of Ireland. It is a happy holiday for the Irish wherever they may be--in Dublin or New York City. The day is celebrated with parades, speeches, festive dinners, and dances. Green, the national color of Ireland, is the color of the day. Many Irish also wear shamrocks, the country's national symbol [the national symbol is the harp the shamrock is the national emblem]. According to legend, Saint Patrick used the shamrock's three leaflets to explain the concept of the Trinity to the Irish people (citation).

Great Resources

Books & Online Databases:

Look for great books in your library catalog with the following call numbers:

• National & World Holidays - 392 to 394.6

• 398.2 - Folktales

• Holiday Cookbooks - 641.5

• Ireland - 941.5

Be sure to search your library catalog for other great nonfiction and fiction books about Ireland, Saint Patrick, and its related symbols: leprechauns, shamrocks, et cetera.

Note:  You will need to access these databases from the TPS Cybrary Homepage.

• Grolier - Contains articles on Saint Patrick's Day, Saint Patrick and Ireland. 

• Discovering Collection - Contains biographies on Saint Patrick

• Opposing Viewpoints - Contains viewpoint essays on flag burning and desecration. 

• SIRS Discoverer - Articles on Saint Patrick's Day, Saint Patrick, recipes, & poems.

• Student Research Center - Contains articles on Saint Patrick's Day, biographies, history, recipes, et cetera.

Internet:

• America's Story: Saint Patrick's Day - small collection of facts, music, and photos  from the library of congress.

• Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) -  In the "Our Flag" section, there is a wealth of information on topics such as the history of the flag, laws and regulations pertaining to the flag, how to obtain a flag flown over the Capitol, and much more
• Celebrate Holidays in the US: Saint Patrick's Day - History of the celebration put out by the US embassy in Stockholm.
• St. Patrick - Lengthy biography by the Catholic Church on Patrick

Suggested Activities

• Saint Patrick's Day - mostly primary grade lessons and activities

• Saint Patrick's Day - Crafts, activities, and lessons from About.com

• St. Patrick's Day - Primary grade mazes, coloring pages, sudoku, math lessons, et cetera from Edhelper

     Last Modified:  08/10/08
TPS is not responsible for the accuracy of information hosted by outside web pages and web sites.  The district is not responsible for changes in the content of the sources to which we link nor for the content of sources accessed through secondary links.  It is impossible to guarantee that data on the Internet is accurate, therefore, when evaluating Internet sites use the guidelines found here.