Thursday, March 10, 2005

St. Patrick's Day

From the U.S. Census Facts for Features: "Although not an “official” holiday in the United States, St. Patrick’s Day has a long history of being celebrated with parades and general goodwill for all things Irish. The day commemorates St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century. Because many Americans celebrate their Irish lineage on St. Patrick’s Day, March was picked as Irish-American Heritage Month. The month was first proclaimed in 1995 by Congress. The U.S. president also issues an Irish-American Heritage Month proclamation."

Interesting statistics include :
Number of U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry (34.0 million)
Number of places in the United States named Shamrock, (4)
The number of gallons of beer consumed per capita by Americans annually.(22)

Link to site

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