St. Patrick’s Day falls on March 17th every year. It is a cultural and religious celebration to mark the traditional day of St. Patrick’s death, the foremost Patron Saint of Ireland. Initially, this was a day to honour St. Patrick, however, over time the day has evolved into a fun and festive celebration of Irish culture.
St. Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by a number of different denominations of the Christian Church, such as Catholics. The day commemorates St. Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilithe, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians who belong to liturgical denominations also attend church services.
St. Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and Bishop in Ireland. Much of what is known about him comes from the Declaration, which was allegedly written by St. Patrick himself. It is believed that he was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His Father was a Deacon and his Grandfather was a Priest in the Christian church. According to the Declaration, at the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Gaelic Ireland. It says that he spent six years there working as a Shepherd and that during this time he found God. The Declaration says that God told Patrick to flee to the coast where a ship would be waiting to take him home. After making his way home, Patrick went on to become a Priest.
According to tradition, Patrick returned to Ireland to convert the Pagan Irish to Christianity. The Declaration says that he spent many years evangelising in the northern half of Ireland and converted thousands. Tradition holds that he died on 17 March and was buried at Downpatrick. Over the following centuries, many legends grew up around Patrick and he became Ireland’s foremost saint.
NRHS have been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in a variety of different ways. The Dining Hall was decorated and our dedicated canteen staff treated pupils and staff to Irish Clover Shortbread biscuits. Many thanks for this sweet treat!