About Saint Patrick's Day

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 is observed by the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutherans. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official feast day in the early 17th century, but has gradually become more of a secular celebration of Irish culture.

Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, 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.

Little is known of Patrick's early life, though it is known that he was born in Roman Britain in the 4th century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father and grandfather were deacons in the Church. At the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave. It is believed he was held somewhere on the west coast of Ireland, possibly Mayo, but the exact location is unknown. According to his Confession, he was told by God in a dream to flee from captivity to the coast, where he would board a ship and return to Britain. Upon returning, he quickly joined the Church in Auxerre in Gaul and studied to be a priest.

In 432, he again said that he was called back to Ireland, though as a bishop, to Christianise the Irish from their native polytheism. Irish folklore tells that one of his teaching methods included using the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish people. After nearly thirty years of evangelism, he died on 17 March 461, and according to tradition, was buried at Downpatrick. Although there were other more successful missions to Ireland from Rome, Patrick endured as the principal champion of Irish Christianity and is held in esteem in the Irish Church.

READ MORE - About Saint Patrick's Day

About Shamrock Shake

The Shamrock Shake was first introduced in 1970. Shamrock Shakes were widely available across Canada and the United States until the early 1990s. They were recently brought back and are still available at select Canadian and American stores during the month of March.

The Shamrock Shake, a green, mint-flavored milkshake, is a seasonal dessert sold at McDonald's during March to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

McDonald's website describes the shake as, "the minty green treat". The ingredient list for the shamrock shake syrup includes high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, sugar, natural flavor (plant source), xanthan gum, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), yellow 5, blue 1. These are not the same ingredients included in the vanilla shake syrup.

During the 1980s, McDonald’s used the Uncle O'Grimacey character to market Shamrock Shakes, but has since been phased out.

In 1980, McDonald's introduced the Shamrock Sundae which consisted of vanilla ice cream topped with a mint green Shamrock syrup. The product was discontinued after one year due to poor sales.

In 1990, the Shamrock Shake at McDonald's restaurants in the Washington, D.C. metro area were used in a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and cups featured a child's artwork for the duration of the promotion.

The McDonalds website says, "It all began with a little girl, a football team, and a visionary doctor."

The Philadelphia Eagles tight end Fred Hill's daughter was diagnosed with leukemia and began treatment. The Hill family were camping out in waiting rooms in hospitals and saw other families doing the same. They realized that many families travelling long distances to visit their sick family members had nowhere to stay and could not afford hotel rooms. The Hill family did something about it.

Hill and his team decided to raise some funds. The team's general manager, Jim Murray, called a friend in McDonald's advertising and suggested the team on the next promotional push. It just happened to be St. Patrick's Day.

The Shamrock Shake raised enough money to buy a four-story house which was the first Ronald McDonald House Charity.

In 2008, McDonald's Canada brought back the Shamrock Shake for a limited time only starting on February 26. At that time, it had not been available in Canada for five years.

In 2010, McDonald's switched the cup style for Shamrock Shakes from white soft drink style paper cups to the clear plastic McCafe cups and began offering whipped cream and a cherry as topping options.

READ MORE - About Shamrock Shake

St. Patrick's Day meal: a controversy of corned beef and cabbage

First thing's first: there's no corn involved. Secondly, it may not even be Irish! The traditional St. Patrick's Day meal of corned beef and cabbage may be closer to the hearts of Irish-Americans than the country they are celebrating.

Corned beef can be cured with brine or salt, but either way it comes from a cow. That was a bit of a problem for the Irish, who, back in the day, had lots of cheap pigs around. As Salon.com aptly explains, bacon and cabbage was the staple dish for most Irish rather than beef. It was only when immigration brought a wave of newly Irish-Americans in the 19th century that corned beef hit the menu.

The theory goes that corned beef and cabbage became a popular lunchtime meal in New York City bars in the early 20th century. A letter republished in Salon explains, "It was a cheap meat, much cheaper than fresh pork, and cabbage was a cheap vegetable. The bars offered a 'free lunch' to the Irish construction workers who were building NYC."

Of course, nothing is free. The letter goes on, "You had to buy a couple beers or shots of whiskey (or both, if you wanted) to get that free lunch. And that's how corned beef became known as an 'Irish' food."

Explaining one Irish stereotype (corned beef) by using another (drinking) may seem suspect, but come March 17 there will be plenty of both. Even if it's not authentic, the spirit is in the right place, right?

Check out more Corned Beef and Cabbage recipes here.

Source: CBS News

READ MORE - St. Patrick's Day meal: a controversy of corned beef and cabbage