Date:

St. Patricks Day

History of St. Patrick
1. Put the following sentences in the correct order:
a) He first came to Ireland as a slave. It was during his time as a slave that he converted to Christianity.
b) He spent many years travelling the country, building churches and converting the pagan Irish people to Christianity.
c) His time in Ireland lasted 30 years. He is said to be buried in Downpatrick, County Down in Ireland.
d) St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. His real name was Maewyn and it is thought that he was Scottish or Welsh.
e) After many years, he escaped and returned home to his family and trained to become a priest. St. Patrick returned to Ireland as a bishop
Myths and legends
There are many myths and legends surrounding St. Patrick, but the most famous one is that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland. It is now thought
that snakes were a symbol for paganism. Although, legend or not, the only snakes you will find in Ireland are in the zoo!
2. Match the words to their definitions:
Leprechauns
the Shamrock
Blarney Stone
__________________ is the national symbol of Ireland. It is a small green plant with three leaves.
__________________ is a famous stone in the wall of a castle. Legend says that if you kiss the stone you receive the gift of the gab, to talk sweetly and
convincingly.
__________________ are Irish fairies. They resemble small old men, about two feet tall. Legend says if you catch it, he has to give you his treasure.
3. Put the information under the correct heading:
Facts
History
Music
Culture
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
l)
m)
n)

Famous actors include Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne, Brenda Fricker and Colin Farrell.
The biggest St. Patricks parades are in New York and Boston.
In Ireland, St. Patricks Day is a national holiday: the schools close and many people have a day off. People dress in green, dye their hair green, wear shamrocks, drink green beer, etc.
A group of school boys decided to form a band. Larry Mullen, Paul Hewson (aka Bono), Adam Clayton, Dave and Dick Evans and Ivan McCormick met for the first time in Larrys
house and U2 were born.
The colour green is associated with Ireland because of the green hills and fields of the country.
The capital city of Ireland is Dublin.
Riverdance first aired on Irish TV during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, and a huge interest in Irish traditional dance and music took place.
Ireland is known as the isle of poets and scholars for example Oscar Wilde (Picture of Dorian Grey), James Joyce (Ulysses), Bram Stoker (Dracula) and Samuel Beckett .
Its flag is green, white and gold.
In 1921, Ireland gained its independence from Britain and the Republic of Ireland was formed.
Ireland has two languages: English and Gaelic.
The national sports are Hurling (a game played with a stick called a hurley and a ball called a slither) and Gaelic football.
The principal river in Ireland is the Shannon.
The Irish potato famine occurred from 1846-1848. Millions of people either died of starvation or left the country to go to America.