Nine people who signed the Declaration of Independence were of Irish origin.

Nineteen presidents have been Irish, including the first — George Washington.

And what better time to recognize the contributions of the Irish than on St. Patrick’s Day? St. Patrick’s Day is claimed by the Irish, but is an excuse for anyone to celebrate. A celebration it is, but there’s more to the holiday — celebrated today — than meets the eye.

History

St. Patrick’s Day honors the patron saint of Ireland, Patricius, who did a lot for the country of Ireland and for Irish-Americans today.

About 1,500 years ago, a boy named Succat was born into a Gaelic family that had migrated to Britain. Since Britain was part of the Roman Empire and had become a land of Christianity, Succat was baptized as Patricius, which means “noble.”

Patricius was noble indeed.

After 16 years as the son of a prosperous land owner and magistrate, Patricius was forced into slavery and ended up herding sheep. He escaped and fled to Ireland, where he did missionary work and brought Christianity to the Irish.

For 40 years, Patrick, as he came to be known, preached and baptized, and established churches, schools and colleges. He used shamrock leaves to explain the meaning of the Trinity.

St. Patrick would also beat his drum to drive poisonous snakes out of Ireland.

This habit made Patrick a hero. The holiday is always celebrated on March 17, which many say is the date Patrick died in 493 A.D. This date is not confirmed.

The first celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland were noisy and joyful. As the Irish emigrated, the tradition spread.

This year’s celebrations

A student at Iowa State can jam to some Irish tunes, drink some “Leprechaun Piss,” or even win a pub in Ireland to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Ames.

“Upstairs at Lost and Found, they’re doing a promotion with Guinness (beer) that will be going on all night,” said Paul DeVries, Cy’s Roost general manager.

The promotion involves filling in the blanks and winning some prizes, including the possibility of winning a pub in Ireland, DeVries said.

DeVries said participants fill out a postcard, available at the bar, that asks them to finish the sentence, “As the cool, creamy head of a pint of Guinness settles…,” in 50 words or less.

All entries will be entered in a national contest. The top 10 participants will win a trip to Ireland and the overall winner will win the J. Morrissey Pub in Ireland.

The Irish make plans

Irish or not, many people celebrate the holiday, but some students of Irish descent make special plans to observe the day.

“I was actually going to make corned beef,” said Michelle O’Gara, a second-year vet med student.

Traditions like corned beef and cabbage are not major St. Patrick’s Day activities, but part of the fun nonetheless. Jason O’Brien, a recent graduate in animal ecology, said he plans to drink a few green beers.

“I’ll have a long day on Monday, so I’ll look forward to going out,” he said. “I’m not doing anything spectacular, just the normal United States St. Patrick’s Day hoopla.”

Both O’Gara and O’Brien said they will definitely wear green today.

Some students said they don’t have much in mind for holiday plans. Some even said they didn’t know today was St. Patrick’s Day.

“I don’t do corned beef and cabbage or anything,” said Maureen O’Brien, a senior in animal science. “I’m usually down at the bars in Chicago and at the parade.”

O’Brien said she won’t make it to Chicago this year because of graduation and “everything,” but said “as soon as you are old enough to go to the bars or get a fake, you always go to Chicago.”

Chicago is famous for its citywide St. Patrick’s Day celebration.