Saint Patrick. Credit: © Shutterstock

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, the feast day of the patron saint of Ireland. A patron saint is a saint chosen to protect the interests of a country, place, group, trade or profession, or activity.

Saint Patrick was a missionary to Ireland in the A.D. 400′s. He converted the Irish to Christianity. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland. It also is celebrated outside of Ireland in cities with many people of Irish descent.

In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is primarily a religious holiday. People honor Saint Patrick by attending special religious services. They also enjoy family and community gatherings. They celebrate by wearing shamrocks. According to legend, Saint Patrick used a shamrock to explain the idea of the Trinity to the Irish.

In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day is primarily a secular (nonreligious) holiday. Many people wear green clothing. They also hold parties and march in parades. The first St. Patrick’s Day celebration in what is now the United States was held in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737. Today, more than 100 U.S. cities hold parades. The St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City, is the largest.

St. Patrick’s Day is often associated with the color green. The Chicago River is dyed bright green every year. A common St. Patrick’s Day dish is corned beef and cabbage. And, while the cabbage might lose its vibrant color during cooking, it celebrates the many plants that turn green this time of year.

Like so many holidays this year, St. Patrick’s Day might look different than in years past. In many places, efforts are being made to prevent the spread of the pandemic (global outbreak) of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. Such efforts often include social distancing, meant to limit contact among people and thus the spread of germs. But, limiting the spread of germs doesn’t mean you can’t have a joyous St. Patrick’s Day!

One way to celebrate is to have a virtual cooking class with friends and family. You can make traditional Irish soda bread, a delicious baked good filled with such sweets as raisins or currants. While you wait for your bread to bake, try Irish dancing. (If you live in an apartment, apologize to your downstairs neighbors by leaving them some slices of soda bread!) No matter how you choose to celebrate, we hope you have a safe and fun St. Patrick’s Day!

September 5, 2018

On Sunday, August 26, Pope Francis concluded a weekend apostolic trip to Dublin, Ireland, where he attended the triennial World Meet of Families. Apostolic is another word for papal or having to do with the pope. Throughout the weekend, enthusiastic crowds turned out to welcome the pope, who is popular in traditionally Roman Catholic Ireland.

Pope Francis greets worshippers before delivering a Mass at Phoenix Park in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 26, 2018. Credit: © Stephen McCarthy, Getty Images

The World Meeting of Families brings together Catholics to celebrate the roles of marriage and the family “as the cornerstone of our lives, of society, and of the Church.” The first such meeting was hosted by Pope John Paul II in Rome in 1994. The meetings have since taken place every three years, and each has included the sitting pope. Pope Francis attended his first World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in 2015. This year’s event in Dublin was themed “The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World.”

On Saturday, August 25, Francis flew to Dublin, the Irish capital, and met with President Michael Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin, the official presidential residence. The pope then met with dignitaries at Dublin Castle, visited St. Mary’s Church, spoke with the poor at the Day Centre of the Capuchin Fathers, and delivered a speech for the Festival of Families at Croke Park Stadium.

On Sunday morning, Francis flew to the small town of Knock in northwest Ireland. He visited the Knock Shrine where, in 1879, some children claimed to have seen visions of the Virgin Mary. Knock has been a place of pilgrimage for Roman Catholics ever since. The pope returned to Dublin, then, where he delivered a Mass before some 200,000 people—far fewer than expected—at Phoenix Park. He then met with bishops at the Convent of the Dominican Sisters before boarding a plane and returning to the Vatican in Rome. 

Francis is from Argentina and has been leader of the church since 2013. He is the first pope from Latin America and the first Jesuit pope. Jesuits are members of a religious order called the Society of Jesus. Francis is known for his commitment to social justice, especially for the poor; his humble lifestyle; and his conservative religious beliefs. Francis visited Chile and Peru in January 2018, and he stopped briefly in Switzerland in June. He will visit the Baltic States of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia later in September. The only other papal visit to Ireland was made by John Paul II in 1979.

May 7, 2018

In Ireland, you’ll hear sláinte <<SLAHN cha>> in nearly all your daily activities. Sláinte means health in Irish, the national language of the Republic of Ireland, and the word is used much as cheers is used in English. Irish is the country’s first official language, but more people in Ireland speak English, the second official language. In the Irish language, Irish is called Gaeilge (Gaelic).

The flag of Ireland. Credit: © T. Lesia, Shutterstock

Irish belongs to the Celtic branch of the Indo-European family of languages. About 40 percent of the Irish population claim they speak Irish, though few people practice the language in everyday life. Areas of Ireland collectively called the Gaeltacht speak Irish as their first language.

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Indo-European is the most widespread language family today. Credit: WORLD BOOK diagram

Irish uses letters of the Roman alphabet. But the alphabet uses j, q, x, and z only in foreign and technical words. The letters k, w, and y are not usually used in modern Irish. Nouns are either masculine or feminine. Most verbs are regular. Irish has only 11 irregular verbs (English has more than 80). In simple sentences, the word order is verb, subject, object. For example, “I bought a book” in English would be “Bought I a book” in Irish.

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Irish is the first official language of Ireland.
Credit: WORLD BOOK map

By the start of the Christian era, Irish was spoken throughout Ireland and had spread into Scotland, the west coast of Britain, and the Isle of Man. The Christian missionary Saint Patrick introduced the Roman alphabet to Ireland in the A.D. 400’s.

Norman conquerors from France began to settle in Ireland near the end of the 1100’s. Gradually, they began to speak Irish along with the native population. Classical Modern Irish began to develop in the 1200’s and lasted through the 1600’s. During that time, literary standards for Irish were set that persisted until the 1900’s. English also gained ground in Ireland during that time and was increasingly used for official and legal business in the cities. Irish was the dominant language in most rural areas.

By the early 1700’s, colonists and landowners from England and Scotland largely replaced the old Irish-speaking ruling class. The native gentry who remained adopted English as their everyday language. Irish lived on as the language of the peasant class.

In the 1830’s, the British government established national schools in which English was the official language. During the Great Famine of the 1840’s, about 2.5 million people, many of them Irish speakers, died or left the country. According to the census of 1891, there were fewer than 700,000 speakers of Irish, compared with 1.5 million in the 1861 census.

In 1893, the Gaelic League was founded to revive the use of Irish and to encourage the study of Irish literature. The organization has remained through the years and is a major force today in protecting and promoting the Irish language.

March 20, 2018

This past Saturday, March 17, the Irish men’s national Rugby Union team celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by defeating the English team 24-15 at Twickenham Stadium in London, England. The win gave Ireland the Six Nations Championship title and the nation’s third ever Grand Slam (an undefeated tournament). Ireland last achieved Grand Slams in 1948 and 2009. The Six Nations is an annual tournament that also includes the national rugby teams of France, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. The popular rough-and-tumble tournament is one of the biggest outside the Rugby World Cup (last won by New Zealand in 2015). The United Kingdom’s National Westminster Bank (NatWest) sponsored the 2018 tournament, which was officially called the NatWest 6 Nations.

Tadhg Furlong of Ireland charges upfield during the NatWest Six Nations match between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium on March 17, 2018, in London, England. Ireland defeated England 24-15. Credit: © David Rogers, The RFU Collection/Getty Images

Led by hulking “man of the match” Tadhg Furlong and halfbacks Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton, Ireland dominated the snowy pitch from the off (offset), scoring its first try (akin to a touchdown in American football) just five minutes into the game. A second try and 2-point conversion gave Ireland a solid 14-0 lead, but sloppy play opened the door for England’s Elliot Daly, who scored a try at the 31-minute mark. (The conversion failed.) The English momentum stopped there as Ireland center Jacob Stockdale scored his seventh try of the tournament, a Six Nations record. Ireland took a commanding 21-5 lead into halftime.

A penalty kick added three points to Ireland’s lead, but Daly scored again for England (again the conversion failed) to make it 24-10. Ireland’s solid green defense then repeatedly stuffed the home white attempts to score before allowing a relatively meaningless try on the final play of the match (the 80th minute) for a final score of 24-15.

Ireland dominated this year’s Six Nations, routing England, Italy, and Scotland, and grinding out tough wins against France and Wales. The Irish squad advanced to World Rugby’s number two ranking, behind only New Zealand’s powerful All Blacks, a team Ireland will face in November ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup. England held the number two spot prior to this year’s Six Nations Championship. The team dropped to number three, just ahead of the Wallabies of Australia. An improving Scotland team is now ranked fifth in the world.

The Six Nations tournament began as a competition among the British “Home Nations” of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in 1883. The 1910 addition of France made it a Five Nations Championship. France bowed out of the tournament in 1932, and the tournament halted altogether during World War II (1939-1945). But the competition returned—with France included—in 1947. Since the modern Six Nations format began in 2000 (now including Italy), England has won the tournament six times. France is second with five championships. Wales and Ireland have four Six Nations titles each, and Italy and Scotland have yet to win.

Within the Six Nations tournament, other team awards—aside from the championship and Grand Slam—include the Triple Crown, which goes to any Home Nation team that defeats the other three in a given year. The worst team in the tournament “wins” the Wooden Spoon each year. Individual nations also swap annual trophies. The Calcutta Cup goes to the winner of the England-Scotland match. Scotland and Ireland play for the Centenary Quaich (a quaich «kwaykh» is a ceremonial drinking cup), and Ireland competes with England for the Millennium Cup. France and Italy play each year for the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy.

October 20, 2017

On Monday, October 16, tropical storm Ophelia roared through the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, killing three people in Ireland and causing damage in parts of the United Kingdom. Ophelia, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in that part of the Atlantic, was an unusual occurrence. The last such storm to reach Ireland, Hurricane Debbie, killed 11 people on the island in 1961.

Tropical storm Ophelia slammed the coasts of Ireland and Wales on Oct. 16, 2017. This photo shows Ophelia-driven waves battering the sea wall at Porthcawl in southern Wales. Credit: © Leighton Collins, Shutterstock

Major Atlantic storms typically form in waters off the central and southern coasts of west Africa. Trade winds then carry them westward toward the Caribbean Sea and the southeastern United States. Ophelia began as a cluster of storms farther north, gathering strength near the Azores before driving northeast toward Europe. Classified as a mid-strength Category 3 hurricane, Ophelia was the strongest-ever storm that far east in the Atlantic Ocean. Downgraded to a tropical storm on its jet stream-led course to Ireland, Ophelia remained dangerous. Ireland’s national weather service issued a red alert for severe weather, warning of “violent and destructive gusts” and “potential loss of life.”

This satellite image shows Ophelia coiling over Ireland on Oct. 16, 2017. Credit: NASA

The storm made landfall in Ireland on Monday morning with wind gusts of 109 miles (176 kilometers) per hour at Fastnet Rock, the country’s most southerly point. Torrential rains lashed the southwestern counties of Cork and Kerry, where schools, businesses, public buildings, and hospitals were closed ahead of the storm. Public transportation ceased running in much of Ireland, ferries and flights were canceled, and people were warned to stay indoors.

Ophelia quickly swamped all of the Republic of Ireland, whipping Wales hard too across the Irish Sea. Electric power was lost in many areas of both Ireland and Wales, trees were blown down (causing all three of the deaths in Ireland), rooftops were ripped away, and storm surges breached sea walls in many places. Winds and heavy rains then hit Northern Ireland and Scotland as Ophelia raced back out to sea, dissipating but still carrying severe weather as far as Norway. (The United Kingdom is divided among the political divisions of Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England.)

Ophelia affected other areas, too. In Portugal and Spain, strong winds from the storm fanned wildfires that killed 44 people. Ophelia blew smoke from the fires—and dust from Sahara sandstorms—over England, where the London sky turned an eerie smoky orange. Ophelia was the 10th hurricane of a busy and deadly 2017 Atlantic storm season. Ophelia’s rare path illustrates how rising global temperatures are expanding the range of powerful storms around the world.

June 15, 2017

Yesterday, on June 14, Leo Varadkar became the new prime minister of Ireland. Varadkar took over as leader of Ireland’s center-right Fine Gael (United Ireland) party on June 2, clearing the way for him to succeed Enda Kenny as prime minister. Kenny, who retired, had led Fine Gael since 2002. At just 38 years old, Varadkar is the youngest prime minister (called the taoiseach <<TEE shok>> in Ireland) in the country’s history. Varadkar is unique in other ways too: he is Ireland’s first prime minister of Indian descent and the country’s first openly gay prime minister as well. Varadkar is now just one of two openly gay heads of government (Prime Minister Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg is the other).

Leo Varadkar became the prime minister of Ireland in June 2017. Credit: © Liam Sweeney, Fine Gael

Varadkar addressed the Dáil Éireann (Irish parliament) after the body voted to confirm him as prime minister, saying, “I’ve been elected to lead but I promise to serve. The government that I lead will not be one of left or right because those old divisions don’t comprehend the political challenges of today. The government I lead will be one of the new European center as we seek to build a republic of opportunity.” Varadkar then visited Áras an Uachtaráin, the president’s residence in Dublin, where President Michael Higgins officially confirmed Varadkar as prime minister.

Varadkar was born on Jan. 18, 1979, in Dublin. His father is from Mumbai, India, and has worked as a doctor in England and Ireland since the 1960’s. His mother is a nurse from southeast Ireland’s County Waterford. Born of mixed Hindu and Roman Catholic faiths, Varadkar was raised Catholic. He joined Fine Gael while studying at Trinity College Dublin, where he earned a medical degree in 2003. Varadkar became a general practitioner in 2010.

Varadkar entered local politics in 2004 and was elected to represent the Dublin West constituency in the Dáil in 2007. He was reelected as a member of parliament (called a teachta Dála, or TD) in 2011, and has since served successively as Ireland’s minister for transport, minister for health, and minister for social protection. In early 2015, Varadkar came out as gay, just a few months before Ireland voted to legalize same-sex marriage.

May 8, 2017

This week’s Mythic Monday returns to the misty shores of Ireland. Heroic tales, romances, and sagas make up a major part of early Irish literature. These works are based on legends and were probably recorded from about A.D. 700 into the 1200’s. One of the most familiar figures of early Irish lore is Finn MacCool (or Fionn mac Cumhaill in Irish). He was the leader of the Fianna, a band of mythical Irish warriors who were said to have roamed Ireland about A.D. 200. Finn and the Fianna were famous for their great size and strength. Some legends put Finn at over 50 feet (15 meters) tall! In addition to his formidable physical presence, Finn was known for his generosity and wisdom. His legend was big enough to jump the sea from Ireland, because he appears in the mythologies of Scotland (often as Fingal) and the Isle of Man as well.

Finn MacCool stands out among the Fianna. Credit: © Mary Evans Picture Library/Alamy Images

Finn MacCool’s immense size may have been magically genetic, but his wisdom came to him in an unusual way. Several tales tell how he burned his thumb while cooking the salmon of knowledge, a mythical creature of Ireland’s River Boyne said to possess all the world’s knowledge. To ease the pain of the burn, Finn put his thumb in his mouth, tasting the hot grease from the fish and thereby acquiring the salmon’s vast wisdom. From that day, Finn had only to put his thumb in his mouth when he was perplexed to discover the solution to a problem.

Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway is said to be the remains of a bridge Finn MacCool built to reach Scotland. Credit: © Shutterstock

Another story tells how Finn created the Giant’s Causeway, an unusual rock formation along the north coast of Northern Ireland. Finn got into a shouting match with a rival Scottish giant known as Benandonner, but the Irish Sea prevented them from settling their quarrel with fists. Always spoiling for a fight, Finn tossed giant stones in the sea to create a bridge for the giants to cross and meet in battle. Finn had second thoughts, however, when he saw the fearsome Benandonner, and he ran home where his wife disguised him as a baby. After Benandonner arrived and saw the “baby,” he too decided against a fight, reckoning that Finn must be astronomically big to have a baby that size. As Benandonner fled home to Scotland, he tore up the bridge to keep from being followed, leaving only the Giant’s Causeway still standing. Geologists credit the contraction of a lava flow for the curious rock formation.

In the 1800′s, a group of Irish nationalists seeking independence from the United Kingdom called themselves Fenians after the legends of Finn and the Fianna. Today, the name of one of Ireland’s major political parties, Fianna Fáil, also recalls the mythological days of yore.

March 22, 2017

On Saturday, March 18, the Irish men’s national Rugby Union team defeated the English team 13-9 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The win was satisfying for Ireland and the majority of the 51,700 fans in attendance, but it was England that still came out on top, winning its second-straight Six Nations Championship title. The Six Nations is an annual tournament that also includes the national rugby teams of France, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. The popular rough-and-tumble tournament is one of the biggest outside the Rugby World Cup (last won by New Zealand—in England—in 2015). The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has sponsored the tournament—officially called the RBS 6 Nations—since 2003.

On March 18, 2017, England’s Anthony Watson (in white) and Jared Payne of Ireland compete for a high ball during Ireland’s 13-9 victory at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Credit: © Shaun Botterill, Getty Images

Ireland controlled the first half of Saturday’s match. The Irish players kept the ball in their hands 74 percent of the time, clamped down on England’s bruising offense, and scored the day’s only try (akin to a touchdown in American football) en route to a 10-3 halftime lead. Ireland held on during a grinding second half to secure the 13-9 win and second place in the tournament. Irish forward Peter O’Mahony—a last-minute starter because of an injury—won the man of the match award as the game’s outstanding player.

It was England, however, that dominated this year’s Six Nations, barely missing the so-called Grand Slam (an undefeated tournament). If Ireland had not happily stepped in the way, England would have won its second-straight Grand Slam, a difficult feat last accomplished by France in 1997 and 1998. Back then, it was only the Five Nations tournament (Italy joined the fray in 2000), so England’s back-to-back Grand Slam titles would have been the first in the modern Six Nations era. Alas, it was not to be. Saturday’s defeat also prevented England from setting a new record with its 19^th consecutive Test match victory. Test matches represent the highest level of international rugby competition. England instead remained tied with New Zealand’s powerful All Blacks for the all-time record of 18 straight Test wins.

The Six Nations tournament began as a competition among the British “Home Nations” of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in 1883. The 1910 addition of France made it a Five Nations Championship. France bowed out of the tournament in 1932, and the tournament halted altogether during World War II (1939-1945). But the competition returned—with France included—in 1947. Since the modern Six Nations format began in 2000, England has now won the tournament six times. France is second with five championships. Wales has four Six Nations titles, and Ireland has three. Scotland and Italy have yet to win the Six Nations.

Within the Six Nations tournament, other team awards—aside from the championship and Grand Slam—include the Triple Crown, which goes to any Home Nation team that defeats the other three in a given year. The worst team in the tournament “wins” the Wooden Spoon each year. Individual nations also swap annual trophies. The Calcutta Cup goes to the winner of the England-Scotland match. Scotland and Ireland play for the Centenary Quaich (a quaich «kwaykh» is a ceremonial drinking cup), while Ireland competes with England for the Millennium Cup. France and Italy play each year for the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy.

March 20, 2017

Last Friday, March 17, was St. Patrick’s Day. And while each year on that day many people wear shamrocks in honor of the patron saint of Ireland, Hibernophiles (fans of Irish culture) might also want to honor the great mythological defender of all Ireland: Cuchulainn (koo KUHL ihn).

Cuchulainn is known as the great mythological defender of all Ireland.
Credit: Harold B. Lee Library/Brigham Young University

Cuchulainn (also spelled Cuchulain) inherited extraordinary powers from his father, Lugh (loo), an important Celtic god. Cuchulainn’s given name was Sétanta. He won the name Cuchulainn (Hound of Culann) by offering to take the place of a ferocious watchdog he had killed in self-defense at the house of Culann, a blacksmith.

Many stories about Cuchulainn appear in the Ulster cycle of ancient Irish tales. The cycle centers on the court of King Conchobar (kahn KOH bahr) at Ulster. The Ulster cycle manuscripts date from about 1100. Probably the best known is the cycle’s central story, Táin Bó Cuailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley). It is the oldest epic tale of western Europe in a native language. Said to have taken place about the time of Jesus Christ, the story has slim basis in fact, but the details are magically mythological.

In The Cattle Raid of Cooley, Maeve (also spelled Medb), the legendary warrior queen of the western province of Connaught, orders a raid on Ulster to capture a famous brown bull. Cuchulainn single-handedly fights off the queen’s army, but her forces eventually capture the bull. Ulster warriors led by King Conchobar then come to Cuchulainn’s aid, however, and drive the invaders out of the country. Queen Maeve then plots revenge against Cuchulainn and, several years later, she uses supernatural means to cause his death.

Cuchulainn’s reputation as a warrior grew in Irish folk tales until he came to be regarded as a demigod. In some ways, the Irish hero resembled the Greek hero Achilles. But unlike Achilles and other Greek heroes, Cuchulainn had many supernatural powers. For example, he could spit fire in battle. He was also a magician and poet. Cuchulainn became a favorite character among writers of the Irish Literary Renaissance of the late 1800′s.

So during the month of March, enjoy a parade, eat corned beef and cabbage, and remember the great Cuchulainn, heroic defender of Erin!

March 17, 2017

You may have noticed things are looking a little greener this week. The greens of spring are starting to bud in some places, but this week’s greens—and today’s in particular—can be traced to the ancient Christian missionary Saint Patrick. March 17, today, is Saint Patrick’s Day, the feast day and traditional death date of Saint Patrick in A.D. 461. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, and in many places around the world, people put up green decorations and wear green clothing to honor Ireland—the Emerald Isle—and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The holiday is often called Saint Paddy’s Day, a nickname derived from the Irish version of Patrick, Pádraig.

A large St. Patrick’s Day parade is held each year in Chicago, where the Chicago River is dyed (harmlessly) bright green in honor of the holiday. Credit: Max Talbot-Minkin (licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Saint Patrick was a missionary to Ireland in the 400′s. He converted the Irish to Christianity. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland. It also is celebrated outside of Ireland in cities with a large number of people of Irish descent. In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is primarily a religious holiday. People honor Saint Patrick by attending special religious services. They also enjoy family and community gatherings. They celebrate by wearing shamrocks. According to legend, Saint Patrick used a shamrock to explain the idea of the Trinity to the Irish. Saint Paddy’s Day takes place during Lent each year, but restrictions on eating meat and drinking alcohol are typically relaxed for the holiday.

Saint Patrick is said to have used a shamrock to explain the idea of the Trinity. Credit: © Shutterstock

In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day is primarily a secular (nonreligious) holiday. Many people hold parties and march in parades. The first St. Patrick’s Day celebration in what is now the United States was held in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737. Today, more than 100 U.S. cities hold parades. The St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City is the largest. Montreal, Quebec, hosts a grand celebration of the holiday, as do such world cities as Adelaide, Australia; Birmingham, England; and Cape Town, South Africa.