What Is St. Patrick’s Day? The Sober Answer

If you live in the US, you already know the answer. The occasion is an excuse to wear green, drink heavily, and then reminisce about your escapades for several years. Add in a few pictures on social media, some of which you may opt to remove later, and the event is complete. Of course, there can be a deeper significance—my goal is that by the time you participate in the debauchery again, you’ll know why. So what is St. Patrick’s Day? Here’s a quick rundown.

 

The Man

St. Patrick is the primary patron saint of Ireland, credited with spreading Christianity throughout the island nation. Born in Britain (still under the influence of the Roman Empire) in about 385, he was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders at age 16, spending the next six years in captivity in Ireland. During this period, as he worked in solitude as a shepherd, he discovered his Christian faith. After escaping to Britain, he studied to become a priest, ultimately returning to Ireland where he spent the rest of his life as a missionary. He is believed to have died on March 17, 461, with modern celebrations thus recognizing the date of his death.

Although never formally canonized (as the practice was not in place during his lifetime), he is venerated as a saint. His life ultimately took on legendary status, generating tales that include him banishing all snakes from Ireland. This legend perhaps uses snakes as a metaphor for paganism, as no snakes were actually present in the country. Such accounts also have him using the shamrock (a three-leafed plant) to teach the Irish the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

 

The Irish Story

Fast forward several centuries, and St. Patrick’s story gets tangled up with the rest of Irish history, particularly as it relates to strained relations with Britain. The 1169 Anglo-Norman (i.e. British) invasion of Ireland set the stage for a long and complex relationship, with politics and/or religion contributing to centuries of tension.

By the 17th century, Christianity had experienced a couple large splits, the most pertinent being Protestantism from Catholicism. In regards to Ireland, a simplified version of events is characterized by the Irish Catholic pushing back against the largely Protestant British settlers of the time, culminating generations later in the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921). As a result of this conflict, Ireland secured independence, though the majority-Protestant Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom. Not surprisingly, hard feelings persisted. In 1972, British troops killed 14 unarmed Catholic protestors in Northern Ireland in what would be called “Bloody Sunday,” inspiring the Irish band U2 to release one of its best-known songs a decade later.

In the midst of this ongoing conflict, St. Patrick arguably became more of an Irish Catholic figure and less of a Protestant one, even though such a distinction occurred more than one thousand years after his death.

In current times, St. Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in Ireland, Northern Ireland (UK), Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada), and Montserrat (a British overseas territory). Given the religious nature of the holiday, up until the 1970s, pubs in Ireland were actually closed on that day. In more recent times, Ireland has embraced the occasion to showcase itself and promote tourism, with celebrations more closely resembling those in the rest of the world (see below).

 

The North American Version

The commercial version of St. Patrick’s Day has been largely guided by the Irish diaspora, particularly in North America. In fact, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in what is the modern-day US at some point in the 17th or 18th century, depending on the source. (Interestingly, these first observances were organized by Irish Protestants who constituted the first wave of Irish immigrants to the US.) The Irish potato famine of the mid-19th century led to mass emigration, further contributing to North America’s Irish population and the prominence of Irish culture.

The North American interpretation of St. Patrick’s Day is a secular celebration of Irish heritage with very little connection, if any, to an underlying religious significance. It is characterized by large parades, the prominence of the color green, the display of shamrocks, the donning of leprechaun costumes, and the excessive consumption of alcohol. The yearly ritual has been criticized by some for promoting public drunkenness, reinforcing demeaning Irish stereotypes, and the aforementioned flimsy relationship with St. Patrick’s mission.

One group that has not been critical of these celebrations includes the owners of Irish pubs.

 

With this knowledge in hand, it’s time for a toast. Let’s all raise a glass to Irish history. Now let’s down it, repeat several times, and forget everything that we just read.

(This article was updated on March 11, 2023.)