About St. Patrick 
St. Patrick was born to a rather wealthy family in Britian near the end of the fourth century. At about the age of sixteen, St. Patrick was taken prisoner by Irish raiders that were attacking his family's estate. The raiders took him back to Ireland where he worked as a shepherd, and was held in captivity for @ 6 years. He felt very lonely and scared and it was at this point that he turned to religion and became a Christian. About six years later, St. Patrick claims he had a voice come to him in a dream telling him to escape Ireland, he believed this was God. Once returning back to Britian he claimed to have another revelation, an angel telling him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Once he bacame ordained as a Priest, he made a journey back to Ireland with a dual purpose, to Minister to already existing Christians, and to convert the other Irish people.
About the Holiday
St Patricks's Day is celebrated every March 17th and has been for 1000's of years. The holiday marks the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick and is observed through a religious feast. Although March being the season of Lent, prohibiting the consumption of meat, this prhibition was waived for St. Patrick's Day. The first parade actually took place in NYC on March 17th, 1762, not in Ireland. It was formed by Irish soliders serving in the English military. Today, this parade is the world's oldest civilian parade and the largest in the U.S. with over 150,000 participants. The parade generally lasts about 5 hours. Don't forget about Chicago either, where there pour in about 40 pounds of green vegetable dye to turn their river green in celebration of this Holiday.
Another neat fact is up until the 1970's Irish law prohibited pubs being opened on March 17th, to celebrate the more religious angle of this Holiday. However in 1995 that law was removed and the government saught to promote tourism and interest in the country through this day.
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