Why do People from all around the world Celebrate St Patrick’s Day?

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!

Every March 17th People Enjoy the St Patrick’s Day Parade New York, Boston and all over the world – here is some of the background to the story of the Celebrations of St Patrick – Ireland’s Patron Saint.

From cities in the United States like New York, Philadelphia and Boston, to the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and all over the world, people come together to Celebrate St Patrick’s Day with parades every March 17th.  But why has the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint become such a world wide phenomena, and where was the first St Patrick’s Day Parade held?

St Patrick’s Day Celebrations

The St Patrick’s Day celebrations have become one of the most popular festivals worldwide.  To many people, St. Patrick’s Day has come to represent Irish culture and identity, and it has its origins in the Irish emigrant communities in the United States.  Today there are over 70 million people worldwide who claim Irish heritage, and the celebrations are a great way for people right across the world to celebrate the unique culture, language and music of Ireland.  The month of March is not only a celebration of Saint Patrick, it is also the time for Seachtain na Gaeilge – a two week celebration of the Irish language that culminates on St. Patrick’s Day.

Where was the First St Patrick’s Day Parade?

The first St. Patricks Day Parade didn’t actually take place in Ireland.  In 1737 in Boston Massachusetts, a crowd of 27 Irish immigrants came together to celebrate their heritage.  In 1762, fourteen years before the Declaration of Independence was signed, the first official St. Patrick’s Day Parade was recorded in New York, when a band of Irish ex-patriots and Irish men serving in the British Army marched while playing pipes and singing Irish songs.  It did not become a public holiday in Ireland until 1900 through the efforts of the Gaelic League.  However the Gaelic League’s success in closing all public houses on St. Patrick’s Day from 1904 proved to be less successful and certainly less popular!

Celebrate St Patrick's Day

St Patrick’s Day Parade Dublin

Today one of the biggest (and arguably the most fun) St Patrick’s Day parade is held in Dublin, with a four day festival.  You can see marching bands, weird and wonderful floats and riotous celebration that brings together more than 3,000 artists, musicians, dancers, poets and performers over the festival, with more than 100,000 overseas visitors who travel to Dublin to enjoy the event.  However you’ll find a parade and celebration in every Irish town and village, with tractors, floats and music – it’s a really wonderful time to visit Ireland!

Discover the real man behind the myth – Celebrate St Patrick’s Day with our audiobook

Download the acclaimed Patrick: Six Years a Slave Audiobook to hear the story of Ireland’s Patron Saint in his own words. Using his writings as well as the latest archaeological information, this audio book seeks to disentangle the real Patrick from the Superstar Saint of later legend, to better understand the man behind the myth. Our Saint Patrick Audiobook examines questions such as, where did Patrick come from?  What was fifth century Ireland like?  How did he manage to escape slavery, and why did he return to Ireland?

Celebrate St Patrick’s Day by understanding the real story of St. Patrick. Download our acclaimed audio book to discover the man behind the myth and hear the true story of Patrick and his life in Ireland.