Saint Patrick's Day 2025: Who was St Patrick, why do we celebrate him and what's the deal with the shamrocks?

Saint Patrick's Day takes place every year on March 17. | Canva/Getty Images

It’s one of the biggest days of the year for the Irish.

From parades in New York and Dublin, to smaller celebrations in Irish bars across the world, many glasses will be raided to Ireland’s Patron Saint this week.

Here’s what we know about the real Saint Patrick and the reason we celebrate his life.

Who was Saint Patrick?

Saint Patrick was born in the 5th century in a Britain that was under occupation by the Romans and was kidnapped at the age of 16 and sent to Ireland as a slave.

It’s said that he managed to escape and returned to his family but later returned to Ireland and is credited with bringing Christianity to the island.

In later life he served as a bishop and by the seventh century he had become the patron saint of Ireland.

Did Saint Patrick banish snakes from Ireland?

The well-known story that Saint Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland originated in the late seventh or early eighth century but is apocryphal. There have never been snakes in Ireland so there was nothing for him to banish.

What do shamrocks have to do with Saint Patrick?

One of the emblems of Irish culture, the shamrock is a native type of clover that has three leaves.

Saint Patrick used the plant to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Why do we celebrate on March 17?

St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17 because it’s believed to be the anniversary of his death in the year 461.

When was the first St Patrick’s Day celebration?

Irish people have marked the Roman Catholic feast day of St Patrick on March 17 since the 9th century, but the modern celebrations can be traced back to 17th century America.

The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in 1601 in a Spanish colony in what is now Florida – organised by the colony’s Irish vicar.

In 1772 homesick Irish soldiers held a St Patrick’s Day march in New York, and similar events later sprung up in cities across the country with large Irish diaspora.

Today, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world, including in Ireland where there has been a national campaign to drum up interest in what used to be a solely religious occasion – up until the 1970s pubs in Ireland werent even allowed to open on March 17.