St. Patrick

• While the holiday has its origins in Ireland, St. Patrick himself was born in either Scotland or Wales. He was born into a pagan Roman family and didn't set food on Ireland until he was 16. His journey to Ireland wasn't a willing one as he was taken there as a captive. It was his six years of captivity that steered his beliefs from pagan to Christian.
  
  

The Shamrock

• The shamrock is an easily recognizable symbol of Ireland and St. Patrick's Day. The saint used the shamrock in his sermons to represent the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The shamrock was also used as a symbol of Irish independence and dates back to the time when England began encroaching on Irish land. These English-speaking Anglicans began to outlaw the use of both Ireland's language and her religion so the shamrock became a silent symbol of rebellion.
  
  

St. Patrick's Day Parade

• The very first St. Patrick's Day parade took place on March 17, 1762. The location of this parade was an entire ocean away from Ireland: New York City. The first parade was conducted by Irish soldiers and over the ensuing 35 years different "Irish Aid" groups began to hold their own. It wasn't until 1848 that the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade as it's known today came into being.
  
  

No Drinking in Ireland

• Among adults, the thing most associated with St. Patrick's Day is drinking beer. In Ireland, however, until the late 20th century, Irish law dictated that bars and pubs close on what the Catholic Church considered a holy day. The same law didn't effect Irish-Americans and it's their raucous celebrations that brought excessive drinking to the festival.
  
  

Leprechauns

• Walt Disney is responsible for linking this Irish folk figure to St. Patrick's Day. His 1959 film Darby O'Gill & the Little People created a new version of the mythical figure, turning him from grumpy to cheerful. In Celtic mythology, leprechauns are a relatively minor figure whose main purpose was to be grumpy and fix the shoes of other fairies. Thanks to Walt Disney, leprechauns are now forever linked with St. Patrick's Day.
  
  

Snakes

• The most popular legend associated with St. Patrick is that he drove the snakes from Ireland. It was a relatively easy task as there never have been any snakes in Ireland. The metaphorical snake that St. Patrick did drive from Ireland is paganism. St. Patrick is the first well known Christian figure to inhabit Ireland so he was the one who began to drive out the old religious ways.