I Asked My Kids What They Wanted to Know about St. Patrick’s Day

I asked my kids to make me a list of what they wanted to know about our Irish heritage and St. Patrick's Day.

'Mommy, I want to know how to catch a leprechaun!'  I about spit out my coffee on our way to school. I had never heard her utter the word 'leprechaun' before but it was on her mind and she wanted to know.

I had to dig into just exactly how one would go about catching this little, Irish delight. According to wikihow.com, there are  several ways to catch one.

To my surprise, I found how to make a trap, because as we all know, catching one, isn't very easy.

Apparently they work, because this little one actually caught a leprechaun.

My other daughters are more interested in Irish folklore, myths and other stories from the past. Many Irish tales of old are rooted in magic, fairies and names I am not ever sure how to pronounce and certainly nothing like I have ever heard before.  Pookas, Changelings and the legend of Finn MacCool  are all new to me but fascinating to them, nonetheless.

The best one yet, is their curiosity of how the Irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Ireland.com shares the different celebrations that go on in different counties in Ireland. For instance, here is how Limerick celebrates:

Limerick uses St Patrick’s Day to host the International Band Parade and Competition; while Cork blithely states that “Cork is THE place to be on St Patrick’s Weekend”. The city’s festival incorporates a food and crafts market, as well as music, street performers and children’s workshops.

From the strange and weird, to the historic accounts of St.Patrick, there is much to learn about the reasons why this day is celebrated.