Today in History: St. Patrick’s Day

Erin is calling

Today in History–March 17–the Library of Congress features St. Patrick’s Day. This Irish and Irish-American holiday commemorates the death of the patron saint of Ireland who, as legend has it, died on this date circa 492. The holiday has been celebrated in the United States since the 18th century. Across the country today, many people celebrate with parades and by wearing the color green. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section, then follow the links below to uncover St. Patrick’s Day treasures from the Library.

The story of St. Patrick’s Day from America’s Library

The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade Massachusetts

The Irish of the Fifth District New Jersey

St. Patrick’s Day parade Lowell, Massachusetts 1905 film

St. Patrick’s Day images

St. Patrick’s Day message 1920 speech audio recording & transcript

The hat my father wore on St. Patrick’s Day 1909 song recording

Reminiscences of Ireland 1902 song recording

More Irish song recordings and stories

St. Patrick’s Day books & articles

St. Patrick’s Day historical newspaper coverage

Irish-American Heritage Month: A Commemorative Observances Legal Research Guide

109 HCON 364 IH: Supporting the goals and ideals of St. Patrick’s Day

More St. Patrick’s Day U.S. contemporary legislation

Library blog posts

Related resources