Top 5 St. Patrick's Day Fun Facts

Fill up a pint and pontificate to friends by sharing these Top 5 Fun Facts about St. Patrick's Day.

1. St. Patrick's Day was a religious observance in Ireland until 1903 when James O'Mara, a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, introduced a bill that made it a national holiday.
   
   Unfortunately, he also introduced a provision that all pubs were to be closed on March 17th, which remained in effect until the 1970s!

2. In 1996 the Irish government finally decided to celebrate the holiday like we do in the U.S.A., with beer, fun, and frolic, by hosting the St. Patrick's Day Festival. Today, Ireland is home to some of the world's largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Better late than never.

3. The luck of the Irish was with George Washington in 1776 when the British evacuated Boston on St. Patrick's Day leaving the Americans to take over the city.

4. Proud Irish men and women shed a green tear when President Truman was the first president to attend the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade in 1948.

5. The Shamrock Shake was introduced in Ireland's McDonalds in the 1980s. These green-colored milkshakes quickly made their way to United States and are a seasonal favorite around St. Patrick's Day.