The Irish have observed ST Patrick’s Day as a religious holiday
for over 1,000 years. Saint Patrick, lived during the fifth
century, is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland.
Born in Roman Britain, at the age of 16, he was kidnapped and
brought to Ireland as a slave. He later escaped, but returned to
Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its
people. In the centuries following Patrick's death (believed to
have been on March 17, 461), the mythology surrounding his life
became ever more ingrained in the Irish culture: Perhaps the
most well known legend is that he explained the Holy Trinity
(Father, Son and Holy Spirit) using the three leaves of a native
Irish clover, the shamrock. Around the ninth or 10th century,
people in Ireland have been observing the Roman Catholic feast
day of St. Patrick on March 17. Interestingly, however, the
first parade held to honor St. Patrick's Day took place not in
Ireland but in the United States. On March 17, 1762, Irish
soldiers serving in the Englis