*Almost 12% of Americans claim Irish ancestry and over 80 million people worldwide claim ancestral connection.
*St. Patrick was not Irish. He was born in Roman Britain at the end of the 4th century AD and taken to Ireland by slave-owners. His birthplace was either Wales or Scotland, but not Ireland.
*The shamrock was originally a teaching tool. St. Patrick is said to have used the three-leaved plant to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish.
*The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in Boston on March, 18, 1737.
*For many years, blue was the color most often associated with St. Patrick.
Green was considered unlucky. St. Patrick’s blue was considered symbolic of Ireland for many centuries and the Irish Presidential Standard is still blue.
*Currently, Hot Springs, Arkansas claims to have the world’s shortest St. Patrick’s
Day Parade route – a 98-foot route on Bridge Street.
*In Chicago, every year, the Plumbers Local 110 union dyes the river “Kelly” green.
The dye lasts for about five hours.
*Guinness sales soar on St. Patrick’s Day. Recent figures show that 5.5 million pints are downed around the world every day. On St. Patrick’s Day that figure is doubled.
*“St. Patrick” was the response password on March 17, 1776 issued by General George Washington for those passing through Continental Army lines.
Nova Homes of South Florida wishes everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Building Custom Homes without the Custom Price, Nova Homes, headed by Frank Arcia has been building custom homes in Naples and Marco Island, Florida for 20 years. For more information please call 239.307.6116 or visit www.novahomesbuilder.com
