St. Patrick's Day started out as a holiday to honor the saint who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century. But now it's a day to honor all people and all things Irish - which would not include green beer, but that's another issue entirely.
Courtesy of the U.S. Census bureau, here are some fun facts to liven up the celebrations:
34.7-million
U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry
4.2-million
people residing in Ireland
24
percentage of Massachusetts residents who claim Irish ancestry
12
percentage of Americans who claim Irish ancestry
March 17, 1762
date of first St. Patrick's Day parade, held in New York City and featuring Irish soldiers serving with the British
9
U.S. towns named Dublin
4
U.S. towns with Shamrock in their names
41.6-billion and 2.4-billion
pounds of U.S. beef and cabbage, respectively, produced in 2005
21.6
gallons of beer consumed per capita by Americans in 2004. Report does not note how much of it was green.
