Growing up, I always thought St. Patrick’s Day was a fun holiday. What’s not to love about everyone wearing green and celebrating rainbows and leprechauns?
After living in Dublin, Ireland for a few years, though, St. Patrick’s Day has taken on a new meaning for our family. It is now a day to celebrate our time in Ireland and our love for the country we were lucky to call home when my girls were tiny.
And while we still participate in some of the more Americanized traditions of the holiday, I try to keep our celebration more authentic and focused on the history of Ireland and St. Patrick rather than the fanciful aspects.
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For example, a few years ago my girls and I taught a lesson at a homeschool co-op about St. Patrick’s Day and we made tri-color shamrocks using the colors of the Irish flag. The shamrock is significant in Irish culture because it is believed that St. Patrick used the three leaves of the shamrock to teach the Celts about holy trinity. (The four-leaf clover, on the other hand, is a rare anomaly of the three-leaved shamrock and, thus, considered lucky.)
I’m also pretty picky about which books I add into our holiday reading rotation for St. Patrick’s Day. I try to avoid any books that follow the cliché version of St. Patrick’s Day and instead try to pick ones that highlight some aspect of St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland.
These are a few of our most favorite St. Patrick’s Day Books (affiliate links):
Hooray for St. Patrick’s Day! by Joan Holub
It’s St. Patrick’s Day! by Rebecca Gomez
The Story of Saint Patrick by James A. Janda
St. Patrick’s Day Alphabet by Beverly Barras Vidrine
Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaola
These books also gave me some inspiration for my St. Patrick’s Day Vocabulary and Spelling Activities which gives a whole bunch of fun ways to teach kids about Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day.
And, of course, I also always try to take the opportunity to have some of our favorite Irish dishes this time of year. Things we miss from our time in Dublin like Banoffee Pie, Shepherd’s Pie, Fish Stew, homemade brown bread, and sometimes I put a new spin on an old favorite like with my Shamrock Green Irish Scones.
