10. In 1845 and 1846, the fungus infected all
the potatoes in Ireland.
One million people died from starvation.
Some people emigrated to the USA and
Canada in the hope that
they would find work and
food.
11. Sinn Fein was established in 1905. By 1913 they
had their own army, the Irish Republican Army
(IRA).
On 24th April 1916, Patrick Pearse, read the
proclamation of the Republic total independence
from Britain.
The Irish rebels surrendered and the British
executed 14 of the leaders. These 14 men
became martyrs to the Irish cause and the idea
of an independent Ireland became more
popular.
12. In December 1918, was a general election and
Sinn Fein won 73 seats in the British
Parliament.
The Irish republicans had more followers and
their fighters were better organised. The Irish
and the English fought until 1921, when the war
ended, with a treaty dividing Ireland into two
parts. Six countries in northern in Ireland
remained under British control. The rest
became the Irish Free State.
13. Patrick was born in England in 387 A.D. As a boy, he was
forcibly brought to Ireland as a slave. Life was horrible for him in
captivity, and Patrick turned to God. He escaped his captors
several years later and returned to England. Once back in his
homeland, he heard the voice of God, who told him that he must
return to Ireland and help the Irish turn to Christianity. Through
much opposition, he was able to spread the gospel and worked
miracles in Ireland for 40 years.
St. Patrick is the Catholic Patron Saint of Ireland, and St.
Patrick's Day began as a religious celebration. Catholic saints
have their own feast days, with March 17 being the feast of St.
Patrick.
14. At first, the works of Patrick were forgotten after his
death, but legend slowly began to grow around him.
The tale was that he drove the snakes out of Ireland.
In fact, there were never any snakes in Ireland. The
legend arises from the snake's symbolic meaning in
Christian lore, where the snake represented evil and
the devil. The tale symbolizes Patrick driving
paganism from Ireland by converting people to
Christianity.
15. Wedding customs: in
one tradition, the
bride and groom hold
right hand to right
hand and left hand to
left hand so their
wrists are crossed.
