You know that tiny red-headed green-coated goofy leprechaun that’s been messing with you all these years? There are a few shocking things you may not know about him!
- Saint Patrick was not born in Ireland
Although St. Patrick was indeed the “Saint” of Ireland, he was originally born in Britain. When he was 16, he was kidnapped and sold as a slave in the same part of present-day Northern Ireland.
- Leprechauns were likely based on fairies
The belief in leprechauns most likely came from the Celts, people from the culture of Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and some other areas, who believed in fairies. They thought that these tiny creatures had powers that could either stand as good or bad.
- The shamrock was considered a sacred plant
Called the seamroy by the Celtics, this plant represented the coming of spring. It was also used as a guide for The Holy Trinity, which is a concept of Christianity.
- The Irish were once looked down on in America
When a disease that affected the potatoes came to Ireland, many moved to America. After coming to the United States, they were treated badly because they were viewed as diseased foreigners that wasted the government’s money for their basic needs.
- Saint Patrick didn’t wear green
Although green has been heavily associated with Saint Patrick and overall, the whole holiday, he had not been directly connected to the color green; he wore blue instead.
- Saint Patrick was never officially made a Saint
Saint Patrick died in 461 A.D. way before the first saint was canonized in 993. There wasn’t an official process to canonize a saint until the 12th century and to this day Saint Patrick hasn’t been canonized, but many people still consider him to be a saint.
- The first St Patrick’s Day parade was held in America
While the Irish have been celebrating St Patrick’s Day since the 1600’s, records show that a St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17th, 1601 in what would now be St Augustine, Florida.
- Every year since 1962, Chicago dyes the Chicago River green for St Patrick’s Day
Every year the local plumbers union dyes the river a bright shade of green. The dye only lasts a couple of hours and is environmentally friendly.
- Legend says that Saint Patrick chased all the snakes out of Ireland, but that was not the case
The truth was that there were no snakes! Tales say that St. Patrick banished snakes from Ireland on the top of a hillside, which drove all the snakes away into the sea, representing getting rid of evil. This is proven to be untrue given that there were no records of an abundance of snakes in Ireland and the “snakes” wouldn’t have anywhere to go or survive because Ireland was surrounded by glaciers during the Ice Age, the time this story was said to have taken place.
- Green didn’t become associated with St. Patrick’s Day until the 18th century
Green had only been added after the incident of the Irish Independence Day, which was when Ireland fought for its own government from Britain and used the color green for their cause’s symbol. Green may have also been introduced by wearing a piece of a shamrock, a green, 3-leafed plant.
What was the most surprising fact about St. Patrick’s Day to you? Let us know in the comments!
Sources:
Davidson, Rose. “St. Patrick’s Day.” Celebrations, 8 Nov. 2016, kids.nationalgeographic.com/celebrations/article/st-patricks-day.
“Definition of Celtic.” Collinsdictionary.com, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 13 Feb. 2020, www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/celtic. Accessed 7 Mar. 2025.
Editors, History com. “7 Surprising Facts about St. Patrick’s Day.” HISTORY, 7 Mar. 2024, www.history.com/news/st-patricks-day-facts.
Kiger, Patrick. “Why We Wear Green on St. Patrick’s Day.” HISTORY, 11 Mar. 2024, www.history.com/news/why-we-wear-green-on-st-patricks-day.
Oxford Languages. “Oxford Languages.” Oxford Languages, Oxford University Press, 2025, languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/.
Pelzer, Kelsey. “It’s Your Lucky Day to Learn All about St. Patrick’s Day!” Parade, 17 Mar. 2024, parade.com/1006852/kelseypelzer/st-patricks-day/.
WorldStrides. “9 Interesting St. Patrick’s Day Facts.” Worldstrides.com, Worldstrides, 18 June 2024, worldstrides.com/en-us/teachers/how-it-works/blog/9-interesting-st-patricks-day-facts. Accessed 7 Mar. 2025.
“St. Patrick’s Day Tradition: Why Chicago Dyes Its River Green and Is It Harmful?” ABC7 Chicago, 17 Mar. 2022, abc7chicago.com/why-chicago-dyes-its-river-green-for-st-patricks-day-what-kind-of-dye-is-used-in-the-harmful-dyeing/11659495/.
