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Books, Movies and Music

Books for Adults: The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog: The Landscape of Celtic Myth and Spirit by Patricia Monaghan Ireland by Frank Delaney Let Me Die in Ireland: The True Story of Patrick by David W. Bercot Irish Art Now: From the Poetic to the Political by Declan McGonagle, Fintan O'Toole, Kim Levin The Wisdom of St. Patrick: Inspirations from the Patron Saint of Ireland by Greg Tobin A Field Guide to Irish Fairies by Bob Curran Ireland: An Island Revealed by Lindsay Hunt Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O'Donohue Timeless Ireland: Faces and Places of the Emerald Isle photographs by Michael Rutherford with text by Aubrey Watson Are You Somebody?: The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman by Nuala O'Faolain Those are Real Bullets: Bloody Sunday, Derry, 1972 by Peter Pringle & Philip Jacobson Irish Famine by Peter Gray Irish America: Coming into Clover: The Evolution of a People and a Culture by Maureen Dezell Irish on the Inside: In Search of the Soul of Irish America by Tom Hayden The Dubliners by James Joyce Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy Irish Girls About Town various 1972: A Novel of Ireland's Unfinished Revolution by Morgan Llywelyn Angela's Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt A Monk Swimming: A Memoir by Malachy McCourt Everything in this Country Must by Colum McCann   More Resources: Available at any Denver Public Library or from home with a library card. Read Related Articles from Newsbank. Explore Irish Fiction with Novelist.

Books for Kids: The Last Snake in Ireland: A Story About St. Patrick by Sheila MacGill-Callahan Saint Patrick and the Peddler by Margaret Hodges Feed the Children First Mary E. Lyons, editor St. Patrick's Day by Elaine Landau Finn MacCoul and His Fearless Wife by Robert Byrd Kathleen: The Celtic Knot by Siobhan Parkinson The Sailor Who Captured the Sea and Other Celtic Tales by Deborah Nourse Lattimore The Pirate Queen Emily Arnold McCully The St. Patrick's Day Shillelagh by Janet Nolan Fairy Tales of Ireland by William Butler Yeats St. Patrick's Day in the Morning by Eve Bunting Crafts for St. Patrick's Day by Kathy Ross Movies: Gangs of New York Ned Kelly In America The Secret of Roan Inish Dancing at Lughnasa Michael Collins Waking Ned Devine Music: Another Day Solas Sean-Nos Nua Sinead O'Connor Across the Broad Atlantic Shane MacGowan's Popes The Long Black Veil The Chieftains All That You Can't Leave Behind U2 Ellis Island The Irish Tenors

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Journal Articles

Below you will find journal articles on the subject of St. Patrick's Day.

A Denver Public Library card is required to access these articles from outside the library or from home. Get a library card now.

Pluck O' The Irish

A Feast of the Famine: The Irish Famine in Children's Literature

A Day of Short Sleeves And Promises of Spring

As Ireland Changes, its Music adds Spices

St. Patrick's Day celebrations and the formation of Irish-American identity, 1845-1875

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Links

St. Patrick's Day in Colorado St. Patrick's Day.com Irish Recipes St. Patrick from the History Channel

Read the Irish Times Ideas for Teachers Holiday Fun for Kids Irish History, Quotes and Photos

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History

Just like many other holidays in the United States, St. Patrick's Day has its origins in ancient times. A young boy named Patrick lived in the British Isles, a land that had been invaded and conquered first by the Romans and then by Germanic tribes. Patrick was captured and taken as a slave from the British Isles to what is now Ireland. He lived there for several years herding sheep. He was a religious boy and he prayed that he would someday return to his homeland. Legend has it that one night while he was praying, a voice told him to escape from the farm, and find a ship that was waiting for him two hundred miles away.

At home, Patrick felt that he was called by God to perform an important mission. He believed it was his duty to go back to Ireland and convert the Celtic people to the Christian religion.

Patrick was made a saint after many years of traveling from village to village and talking about his faith. Stories of him reached far and wide. His most famous feat is forcing the snakes out of the entire country of Ireland. Even though there are many different stories about how he accomplished such a task, it is probably not true.

St. Patrick died on March 17 and the Irish people set aside the day to mourn. He became the patron saint of Ireland. Mourning turned to commemorating him and celebrating his life. Americans have inherited this custom. On St. Patrick's Day in the United States, millions of people celebrate whether they are Irish or not!

Read more about St. Patrick!

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Updated: January 08, 2008