It is believed St. Patrick was born in the fourth century. He is the patron saint of Ireland and is the one who brought Christianity to Ireland. He is also known for driving the snakes out of Ireland. It’s true there are no snakes on the emerald island, but it is believed there were never any snakes because the island was separated from the continent at the end of the Ice Age.

St. Patrick encountered the Druids at Tara and probably abolished their pagan rites. The story is St. Patrick converted the warrior chiefs and the princes. It is possible the driving of the snakes from Ireland was simply a symbol of putting an end to the pagan rites. One of the stories about St. Patrick is how he explained the Holy Trinity to the Celtic people. They were having difficulty understanding how there could be three in one. It is said he used a shamrock for the example. Showing them the shamrock had three leaves, yet it is only one plant. He told them to imagine that each leaf represented the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit as each of these leaves. The reason St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th is the theory St. Patrick died on this day. The holiday started in Ireland. So we tend to think of everything Irish for that day: shamrocks, anything green, leprechauns and gold. The traditional day was for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide. In America there is a large Irish population and St. Patrick’s Day is a very big deal. People wear green shirts, hats, ties and pins. Even some of the bars and pubs serve green beer on St. Patrick's Day. Every year on March 17th or the Saturday before, a St. Patrick’s Day parade takes place in the cities with a large population of Irish Americans. The first St. Patrick’s Day celebration to take place in the U.S. was in Massachusetts, 1737. New York City had there first St. Patrick's Day on March 17, 1762.