Who was St Patrick?
Despite St Patrick being one of the most recognised and widely known saints in Christianity little is really known about him. His legend has inspired countless stories, but most of these seem more fabricated than true. Only two writings authored by St Patrick survive and these give the most accurate glimpses into his life. Read about what we do know of St Patrick here
The Legend of the Leprechaun
When the Vikings inhabited Ireland, they stored hordes of treasure all over the land. According to the legends, when they left, they forgot to take several stashes of gold with them. The leprechauns found the gold and divided it among themselves. Noting that human greed would always be a problem, the leprechauns buried the gold. However, according to the stories, a rainbow will end where a leprechaun has hidden his pot of gold.
Other legends show leprechauns possessing other benefits that humans would like to have, for example Leprechauns can grant three wishes to a human who catches them. Leprechauns as literary figures can also represent the human conscience. Read more about leprechauns here
Ideas to Celebrate All Things Irish
- Music: The twentieth anniversary collection. Check availability
- Fiction: Molly Fox’s birthday / Deirdre Madden. Check Availability
- Fiction: Bog child / Siobhan Dowd. Check Availability
- DVD: The Magdalene sisters. Check Availability
- DVD: Angela’s ashes. Check Availability
- DVD: A fork In the road. With Pria Viswalingam. Check Availability