St Patrick's Day Traditions and Customs

Go n-éirí an bóthar leat

Go raibh an ghaoth go brách ag do chúl

Go lonraí an ghrian go te ar d'aghaidh

Go dtite an bháisteach go mín ar do pháirceanna

Agus go mbuailimid le chéile arís,

Go gcoinní Dia i mbos A láimhe thú.

Traditional Irish Blessing, you can find the English version here

I’m not quite sure why the whole world, even the virtual world, now goes green on St Patricks day however, as I mentioned in a post a few years ago, I’ve now embraced the greenery and I’m looking forward to some fun and frolics both real and virtual. There are some global traditions that seem to have cropped up over recent years, like dying the river in Chicago green but back in Ireland, there are some more ancient traditions, in some cases linked to fairies, leprechauns and myths, here’s a handful that you might like to embrace yourself!

St Patrick and the Shamrock

St Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland and one of the most famous symbols of the saint is the shamrock. However, the widely held belief that he used the shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity, is a relatively late one. It is unlikely that the Irish needed explanation of the concept of three persons in one, as triads were central to pre-Christian Celtic religious tradition. Thomas Dinely, an Englishman travelling through Ireland in 1681 noted that people of all distinctions wore crosses to commemorate the saint on this day, but noted that only the vulgar, as he called them, wore shamrock, clearly an ignorant Englishman!

Badges and Rosettes

Children made and wore St Patrick’s Day badges in folk tradition. These circular badges incorporated the cross of St Patrick, and there are many colourful examples in the National Folklife Collection.

Boys generally wore badges that used coloured paper to form the cross and decoration. Girls typically used fabric and coloured ribbon, often gathering the ribbon to form small rosette decorations on the terminals of the cross. Boys originally wore theirs on one side of their caps, but latterly began to wear them like the girls on their right shoulder. By 1908, brightly coloured silk rosettes with glued-on crosses were for sale on the streets of Dublin. The modern green rosettes for sale today originated from this custom.

Lenten Reprieve!

Lent was an extremely austere time in Ireland in years gone by. People refrained from eating meat, dairy or eggs; and drinking, dancing and celebrations such as weddings were strictly forbidden for this 40-day period. The Irish got a welcome reprieve from the strict Lenten restrictions, as they were temporarily lifted on 17 March so people could honour their national saint in style!

“Lenten Fish”

On St Patrick’s Day, a meal containing meat was usually eaten after Mass. This was sometimes called “Lenten Fish”. The name derives from the folk story that Patrick himself was believed to have eaten meat during Lent and was filled with remorse. An angel told him to put the remains of the meat he had eaten in water, upon which they turned to fish. It seems that on his feast day, once meat was dipped in water, people could eat it as “St. Patrick’s Fish”!

Holy Wells and Pilgrimage Sites

Many people would visit a holy well or site associated with the saint on his feast-day. There are many such holy sites throughout Ireland because St Patrick was believed to have travelled throughout the country preaching Christianity. Stories recount instances where St Patrick struck his crozier to the ground, and a holy well would spring up on that site. Pilgrims also climbed Croagh Patrick – a holy mountain in County Mayo where St Patrick was said to have fasted for 40 days. According to the Annals of 1113AD, forty pilgrims were killed when the mountain was struck by lightning as they climbed to the summit on St Patrick’s Day.

St Patrick’s Day Parades

In days gone by, if you were lucky and lived near enough to Dublin, you might be taken to the Parade to watch the marching bands and the odd float. But now, St Patrick's Day is a huge festival with various multi-cultural and fun events for all the family and visitors alike, with an estimated 500,000 people cramming Dublin's city centre for the actual Parade on the 17th of March.

In rural Ireland or “down the country” as we say, St Patrick's Day is much more likely to be celebrated in traditional style, especially on the islands and in the Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) areas with traditional music, sean-nós singing and dancing, horse racing and GAA matches.

Drowning the Shamrock

Wearing shamrocks isn't the only thing we do with them to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. “Drowning the shamrock” is considered good luck (even if it could possibly lead to a headache on March 18!). According to some legends, Saint Patrick himself went to a bar and got a glass of whiskey that was partially empty. The saint warned the bartender that the devil comes for the dishonest, at which point he was scared straight: The next time Saint Patrick visited the pub, everyone's whiskey glasses were full. These days, at closing time on St. Patrick's night, shamrocks are dunked into the final glasses of whiskey (or whatever you're imbibing!) as a toast to the man who drove the proverbial snakes out of Ireland.

Looking for Leprechauns

The leprechaun story has long been a beloved aspect of Irish lore. They are believed to be a part of another piece of famous folklore, as they are traditionally known to be members of the fairy family. Tales of these small creatures first emerged in the 8th-century, when legends about tiny water-dwellers began circulating among the Celts.

Their name is thought to come from the word “luchorpán,” meaning small body, no surprise there as they are said to be only 2-3 feet tall. Where do these little folk live? In order to hide from humans, they are known to dwell in tiny underground caves or hollow tree trunks.

They are famous for being the cobblers of the fairy world and their name is also associated with the old term “’leath bhrogan,” meaning shoemaker. This profession is what earns them their iconic pots of gold!

The Whole “Kiss Me, I'm Irish” Thing!

The phrase “Kiss me, I'm Irish” comes from the Blarney Stone. Irish legend says that kissing the famous stone in Blarney Castle gives the kisser the gift of charming, eloquent and persuasive speech. Since most people won't get to smooch the stone, it's said that puckering up to an Irish person is the next best thing. Now as luck would have it, I have actually kissed the Blarney Stone so, I’m qualified and open for any kisses!

That’s it for now so other than to say… Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

What’s on this Week?