16 St. Patrick’s Day Fact Or Fiction Questions
a_lis via Getty Images PlusSt Patrick's Day has turned into quite the celebration in the US. But in Ireland, it's the real deal.
96.3 KKLZ's Mike and Carla talked to their friend John Keane, who does afternoons on WLR, in Waterford Ireland. He gave us the real deal when it comes to St Patrick's day, in the land of the real Irish, in this interview.
No "Top O the mornin'," and no Leprechauns - unless you're watching 'Darby O'Gill and the Little People.' The 1959 Disney film, 'Darby O'Gill and the Little People', was the first time leprechauns were used as a symbol of St. Patrick's Day. (It was also one of Sean Connery's earliest films.)
St. Patrick's Day: What Is Fact And What Is Fiction
Try your luck with some of these questions. Answers at the bottom.
1. Ireland and Indiana are roughly the same size and have about the same population.
2. Fitz, as in the first part of many Irish last names, means "bastard son of".
3. St. Patrick wasn't Irish.
4. St. Patrick is most famous for driving the cats out of Ireland.
5. The color green used to be considered unlucky in Ireland.
6. In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is not a big party day.
7. One in nine Americans have some Irish ancestry.
8. There are seven times as many people with Irish backgrounds in the U.S. as in Ireland.
9. There are more Americans with Irish ancestry than any other background.
10. The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place in New York, not Ireland.
11. The word leprechaun means "keeper of the gold."
12. Ireland never actually produced corned beef.
13. The potato was introduced to Ireland when Sir Walter Raleigh brought it back from America in 1588.
14. Orange is the official secondary color of St. Patty's Day.
15. The largest St. Patty's Day parade is held every year in Chicago.
16. Boston was the first city in the U.S. to have a St. Patty's Day parade.
Here Are Your Fact Or Fiction Answers
- Fact
- Fact. So FitzSimmons would be the bastard son of Simmons.
- Fact. He is the patron saint of Ireland, but was from Britain. Fifteen hundred years ago, he was kidnapped by raiders, taken to Ireland, and sold as a slave. He worked there for a few years, escaped, and returned to Ireland years later as a Christian missionary.
- Fiction. He drove the snakes out. And some say that is even a myth.
- Fact. In Irish folklore, people who wore green were kidnapped by little fairies called "the Good People." Green became associated with St. Patrick because he used the green three-leafed shamrock to symbolize the holy trinity of Catholicism. The color blue was originally associated with St. Patrick's Day.
- Fact. It was a national holiday for religious observance. And until as recently as the 1970s, pubs there were closed on March 17th.
- Fact. It's about 11.1% of the population.
- Fact. 34.5 million Americans have Irish heritage. The population of Ireland is 4.7 million.
- Fiction. There are more people with German backgrounds. Irish is second.
- Fact. Irish soldiers from the British military marched through New York in 1762.
- Fiction. Leprechaun means "Small-bodied fellow."
- Fiction. The Irish city of Cork was the world's leading exporter from the 1600s until 1825.
- Fact. Before potatoes, the Irish ate mainly milk and grains. The population became so dependent on the potato for food, that the poor were devastated by a blight on crops in the mid-1800s, and had to either flee the country or starve.
- Fact. Look at the Irish flag. Green for Catholics, Orange for Protestants.
- Fiction. The largest parade is NOT in Chicago. It is in New York with almost 2 million revelers.
- Fact. It was held in 1761
An Irish blessing from our dear friend John Keane: May you have all the happiness and luck that life can hold. May you find a pot of gold at the end of all your rainbows. May the roof over your head always be strong. May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows you're dead.
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kklz963
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kklz963/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kklz963/
