St. Patrick's Day

Dziś w Irlandii obchodzone jest święto patrona - św. Patryka. Symbolem Irlandii jest zielona koniczynka - a green clover lub a shamrock

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig) is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland. It originated as a Catholic holiday and became an official feast day in the early 17th century. It has gradually become more of a secular celebration of Irish culture.
It is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland,^[1] Northern Ireland,^[2] Newfoundland and Labrador and in Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora, especially in places such as Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Montserrat, among others

A shamrock - a symbol of St. Patrick
According to legend, Saint Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish people.
Source: Wikipedia

What's the difference between clover and shamrock?
A shamrock is a common name for a clover. But as American botanist Kathleen Pelkki explains, a shamrock is a common name for any number of plants belonging to the genus Trifolium, from the Latin meaning "having three leaves."
The plant most commonly referred to as shamrock is white clover or Trifolium repens. The Irish word "seamrog," from which shamrock comes, means "little clover." Black medic, wood sorrel, and the hop clover have also been called shamrocks.
There is some debate over this issue. We found an Irish FAQ that claims that shamrocks are smaller than clovers, though they are both species of Trifolium. We couldn't verify this with other online resources.
Shamrocks came to be associated with St. Patrick's Day because the patron saint of Ireland used the three-leafed plant as a metaphor for the Christian concept of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Source: Ask Yahoo

Sport events on St. Patrick's Day

• The Ulster Schools Cup final, Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup final and Munster Schools Rugby Senior Cup finals all take place annually on St. Patrick's Day.

• The All-Ireland Club Football and All-Ireland Club Hurling championships finals are held annually in Croke Park on St Patrick's Day.

• The Interprovincial Championship in both Gaelic Football and Hurling were held in Croke Park from up to and including 1986 and in 1991.

• The St. Patrick's Day Test is an international rugby league tournament that is played between the USA and Ireland. The competition was first started in 1995 with Ireland winning the first two tests with the USA winning the last 4 in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004. The game is usually held on or around March 17 to coincide with St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day in America
Today, Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated in America by Irish and non-Irish alike. It is one of the leading days for consumption of alcohol in the United States, and is typically one of the busiest days of the year for bars and restaurants. Many people, regardless of ethnic background, wear green clothing and items. Traditionally, those who are caught not wearing green are pinched affectionately.
Source: Wikipedia

More articles and activities:
http://www.e-angielski.com/artykuly/saint-patricks-day
http://abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/st_patricks_day/
http://www.pearsonlongman.com/celebration-resources/mar.html

For kids:
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/patrick/
http://bogglesworldesl.com/stpatricksday_worksheets.htm