Top of the mornin' to you! ☘️ 💚
It’s St Patrick’s Day on Monday 17 March and with around 30% of Australians having some Irish ancestry, it’s a day celebrated by many. Read on to find out just who St Patrick was, how he’s celebrated around the world today, and some delicious recipes to get into the spirit.
Was St Patrick a real person?
Yes. Patrick was born Maewyn Succat around 385 in Kilpatrick, Scotland. At the age of 14 he was captured during a raid of his hometown and taken to Ireland to work as a slave, herding sheep. During his captivity he maintained his Christian faith although Ireland was inhabited predominantly by Druids and pagans.
He escaped and returned to Scotland where he became a priest, taking the name Patrick, and was ultimately ordained as a Bishop. He returned to Ireland in 432AD, establishing churches, schools and monasteries. It’s claimed that he used the shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity. He preached for 40 years and converted Ireland to Christianity. He died on March 17, 461AD. This date became a religious holiday in Ireland in the ninth or tenth century.
St Patrick’s Day around the world
Over the last few hundred years Irish people have migrated all over the world and St Patrick’s Day has become a celebration of Irish culture, with parades, music, dancing, eating and drinking the order of the day.
Irish revellers wear green, the colour of the shamrock, Ireland’s national symbol. It’s also the colour believed to be invisible to leprechauns, who you want to avoid on St Patrick’s day due to their habit of pinching people and causing other mischief.
America
With so many Irish immigrants to the US, St Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated. In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green each St Patrick’s Day. New York City is said to have the oldest and largest St Patrick’s Day parade, dating back to 1762, and attended by two million people.
In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green each St Patrick’s Day.
Belgium
In Brussels, the day is celebrated by playing Irish sports like Gaelic football, hurling and camogie.
Canada
Canada has a large population of people with Irish ancestry and it’s a holiday in many provinces. Montreal’s flag features a shamrock and is renowned for its St Patrick’s Day parade, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year.
Argentina
Argentina has the fifth-largest Irish diaspora in the world and celebrates El Dia de San Patricio with all-night street parties, hurling, Gaelic football and Irish dancing.
Australia
Australians celebrate St Patrick’s Day by gathering in Irish pubs and by cooking traditional Irish food like soda bread, Irish Boxty (a type of potato pancake), Irish Stew, Black Pudding and Colcannon Mash. In Sydney, the Opera House is bathed in a vibrant green hue.
Some Irish-inspired recipes
Celebrate St Patrick’s Day at home with these Irish inspired recipes:
Broccoli and Cashel Blue Soup – featuring the Irish farmhouse cow’s milk blue cheese, this soup is warming and hearty.
Pork Belly with Colcannon, Braised Fennel and Red Wine Reduction – this traditional Irish potato and cabbage dish is paired with melt-in-your-mouth pork belly for a fabulous main.
Irish Stew – this is a hearty combination of tender beef, carrots and of course, potatoes.
Choc Ripple Baileys Fridge Cake – there’s no doubt that Baileys Irish Cream is one of Ireland’s most popular exports and this cake is the ultimate way to showcase it.
Salted Caramel Martini – a perfect blend of salty and sweet, featuring Bailey’s Irish Cream, this is a delicious way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.
