Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2016

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Irish-American Heritage Month

Each March, the United States celebrates Irish-American heritage month. The U.S. and Ireland have always shared strong bilateral relations, deep cultural ties, and a commitment to positive change in the world. The industry, creativity, and imagination of Irish Americans have enriched every facet of American society. Nineteen Presidents of the United States have claimed Irish heritage and President Obama is proud to be one of them. One-third to one-half of the American troops during the Revolutionary War and at least 8 of the 56 signatures on the Declaration of Independence were Irish Americans.

March 17 is the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint, the cleric Patrick (386–461), in the Catholic liturgical calendar and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, and in Northern Ireland. But it is celebrated informally worldwide by people of every ethnic background. The first recorded celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in the American colonies was in Boston in 1737, and the first St. Patrick’s Day celebration in New York City was held at the Crown and Thistle Tavern in 1756. Nowadays, St. Patrick’s Day parades are wildly popular, even in areas without any sizeable Irish-American population, and tend to take on a regional flavour. Chicago dyes its rivers green on parade day; other cities settle for painting green the traffic stripes on parade routes. The largest parades are held in Dublin (Ireland), New York City, Montreal, and Boston.