Erin Go Bragh!

Take a seat. Grab a beer. The News Team is throwing some knowledge your way this St. Patty’s Day.

Here are some things you might not have known about our greenest holiday…

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We Should Really Wear Blue

Saint Patrick himself would have to deal with pinching on his feast day. His color was a??Saint Patricka??s blue,a?? a light shade. The color green only became associated with the big day after it was linked to the Irish independence movement in the late 18th century.

We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English.

Winston Churchill

Saint Patrick Was British

Although he made his mark by introducing Christianity to Ireland in the year 432, Patrick wasna??t Irish himself. He was born to Roman parents in Scotland or Wales in the late fourth century.

You gotta try your luck at least once a day. You could be going around lucky all day and not even know it.

Jimmy Dean

New York & Chicago Take It Seriously

New York Citya??s Saint Patricka??s Day Parade is one of the worlda??s largest parades. Since 1762, 250,000 marchers have traipsed up Fifth Avenue on foot – the parade still doesna??t allow floats, cars, or other modern trappings.

The Big Apple may have more manpower, but Chicago has a spectacle all its own. The city has been celebrating Saint Patrick by dumping green dye into the Chicago River since 1962. It takes 40 tons of dye to get the river to a suitably festive shade!

Be true to your work, your word and your friend.

John Boyle O’Reilly

It Used To Be Dry

For most of the 20th century, Saint Patricka??s Day was considered a strictly religious holiday in Ireland, which meant that the nationa??s pubs were closed for business on March 17. (The one exception went to beer vendors at the big national dog show, which was always held on Saint Patricka??s Day.) In 1970, the day was converted to a national holiday, and the stout resumed flowing.

Luck is when opportunity comes along and you’re prepared for it.

Denzel Washington

Therea??s a Reason for The Shamrocks

How did the shamrock become associated with Saint Patrick? According to Irish legend, the saint used the three-leafed plant as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity when he was first introducing Christianity to Ireland.

I love everything that’s old – old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine.

Oliver Goldsmith

The World Runs Up Quite A Tab

All of the Saint Patricka??s Day revelry around the globe is great news for brewers. A 2012 estimate pegged the total amount spent on beer for Saint Patricka??s Day celebrations at $245 million. And thata??s before tips to pubsa?? bartenders.

Luck is believing you’re lucky.

Tennessee Williams

The Lingo Makes Sense

You cana??t attend a Saint Patricka??s Day event without hearing a cry of a??Erin go Bragh.a?? Whata??s the phrase mean? Ita??s a corruption of theA?Irish A–irinn go BrA!ch, which means roughly a??Ireland Forever.a??

If it was raining soup, the Irish would go out with forks.

Brendan Behan

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Happy Saint Patrick’s Day from the KSI News Team! Drink responsibly, kids.

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