Tartan design by Gerald D Healy & Ralf L Hartwell Jr

Today's St Patrick's Day celebrations have been greatly influenced by those that developed among the Irish diaspora, especially in North America. Until the late 20th century, St Patrick's Day was often a bigger celebration among the diaspora than it was in Ireland. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilithe (Irish traditional music sessions), and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.

Tartan design by Carol Martin

The four-leaf clover is a rare variation of the common three-leaved clover. According to tradition, such leaves bring good luck to their finders, especially if found accidentally. In addition, each leaf is believed torepresent something: the first is for faith, the second is for hope, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck.

Tartan design by Carol Martin

It is said that every Leprechaun has a pot of gold, hidden deep in the Irish countryside. To protect the leprechaun’s pot of gold the Irish fairies gave them magical powers to use if ever captured by a human or an animal. Such magic an Irish leprechaun would perform to escape capture, would be to grant three wishes or to vanish into thin air!

Tartan design by Carol Martin

The expression "the wearing of the Green" refers to the stories of both the shamrock that St. Patrick used to teach the Trinity and the bright green uniforms worn by soldiers during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Green has also been the color that represents support for the Irish dream of independence. ​ While green is now the national colour of Ireland, the color most associated with St. Patrick is blue! The Order of St. Patrick was established in 1783 as the senior order of chivalry in the Kin

Tartan design unknown

According to the Confession of Patrick, when he was about 16, he was captured by Irish pirates from his home in Great Britain, and taken as a slave to Ireland, tasked with looking after animals.  He lived in Ireland for six years before escaping and returning to his family.  After becoming a cleric, he returned to northern and western Ireland to spread the word of the gospel. By the seventh century, he had already come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland. ​

Tartan design by Robert Paterson

The vast majority of placenames in Ireland are anglicisations of Irish language names.  However, some names come directly from the English language, and a handful come from Old Norse and Scots.  The name of Ireland itself comes from the Irish name Éire, added to the Germanic word land. In mythology, Éire was an Irish goddess of the land and of sovereignty.

Tartan design by Colin Patrick McGuire

The Irish people were the first of many to immigrate to the U.S. in mass waves, including large groups of single young women between the ages of 16 and 24. Up until this point, free women who settled in the colonies mostly came after their husbands had already made the journey and could afford their trip, or were brought over to be married to an eligible colonist who paid for their journey. Many Irish fled their home country to escape unemployment and starvation during the Great Irish Famine.

Tartan design by Viking Technology Limited

Tourism companies commissioned well-known artists of the day to create images for their pictorial posters. Belfast artist Paul Henry’s poster scenes became iconic, almost quintessential, images of Ireland, and some, including View of Connemara (1926) and Lough Derg (1927), became best sellers. The largest Irish railway company, Great Southern Railways, used posters in the 1920s popular tourist locations such as Glendalough, Killarney and Connemara.

Tartan design by House of Edgar

Since 1700 between 9 and 10 million people born in Ireland have emigrated. This is more than the population of Ireland at its historical peak in the 1840s of 8.5 million. The poorest of them went to Great Britain, especially Liverpool; those who could afford it went further, including almost 5 million to the United States.

Tartan design by Viking Technology Ltd

About 33 million Americans—10.5% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2013 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. This compares with a population of 6.4 million on the island of Ireland. Three million people separately identified as Scots-Irish, whose ancestors were Ulster Scots who emigrated from Ireland to the United States but are considered Irish Americans.