Who was St Patrick? Where in the world celebrates St Patrick’s Day? In this WebQuest you will find the answers to these questions and discover a range of Irish cultural traditions.
On the 17th March, the whole world becomes Irish. It’s the day we celebrate St Patrick’s Day in honour of Ireland’s patron saint. But who was St Patrick? And how do we celebrate his day?
Activity 1: Who was St Patrick?
1. Where and when was St Patrick born?
2. What happened to him when he was 16?
3. When did he become a Christian?
4. How long was he a slave?
5. Where did he study and who was his teacher?
6. What did he want to do with his life?
7. Where did he want to go?
8. Who was sent there in his place and how long did he stay there?
9. What did Patrick achieve in Ireland?
10. How long did he work in Ireland?
11. Where did he go when he retired?
12. When did he die?
13. What legends developed about St Patrick?
14. What is the traditional icon of the day and what does it symbolize?
Using questions 1-14 above, now finish the biography about St Patrick below in your own words.
St Patrick was born in Wales in AD 385. He was sold into slavery when he was 16 and became a Christian after he arrived in Ireland.
Activity 2: What is the history of St Patrick’s Day?
- The first recorded St Patrick’s Day celebration in the USA happened in _______________ [1] in the year _______________ [2].
- In 1766, the St Patrick’s Day parade in ____________________ [3] was so successful that they decided to hold one every year.
- ____________________ [4] societies were formed by protestants in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
- These societies organised big celebrations for St Patrick’s Day, where local groups played _______________ [5] and _______________. [6]
- In the year _______________ [7], the ___________________________________ [8] in Ireland meant that many starving immigrants moved to America, so the Irish population there greatly increased.
Activity 3: A St Patrick’s Day Treasure Hunt
St Patrick’s Day is celebrated all over the world. You have 15 minutes to visit these sites and answer the questions about various international celebrations.
Questions:
In which city …
1. … does the parade end at University Avenue?
2. … is the second largest parade in the world?
3. … can you run a five-mile race called Runnin’ O’ the Green?
4. … is there a photographic exhibition about County Mayo?
5. … is the river coloured green?
6. … can you take part in a walking tour ‘in the footsteps of St. Patrick’?
7. … is the parade on Fifth Avenue?
8. … is ‘happiness’ the theme of the 2011 festival?
9. … can you attend the 20th St Patrick’s Day parade in 2011?
10. …can you visit the Irish Village at Kiener Plaza?
Now, summarize for the class how St Patrick’s Day is celebrated.
Activity 4: Irish Culture
There are many traditions connected with St Patrick’s Day. Visit the links and investigate one of these aspects of Irish culture and report on it to the class. The questions will help you.
The Shamrock
Questions
1. Why is the shamrock related to St Patrick?
2. In what year was the first reference to the shamrock and what was it
used for?
3. Why is three the Irish magic number?
The Blarney Stone
Questions:
4. Where is the Blarney Stone?
5. What legend is told about the Blarney Stone?
6. What gift does the stone give?
7. What does “blarney” now mean?
Leprechauns
Questions:
8. What is a leprechaun and what does it look like?
9. What kind of treasure do leprechauns hide from people?
10. Why must you keep your eyes on a leprechaun if you want his treasure?
Irish Blessings and Sayings
Questions:
11. What are blessings? How can you tell which of the texts are blessings? What word do they begin with?
12. Choose one blessing and memorize it. Recite it and explain what it means.
13. Choose one of the other sayings. Explain it to your classmates.
Activity 5: St. Patrick’s Day Collage
Have you ever made a collage? Collage is an art form in which the artist takes a number of images and/or words and puts them together on a piece of paper, in a frame or on a screen. The goal is to make a message or feeling by the very patterns, content and interactions.
Usually you cut and paste images and sentences from magazines, but you can also make collages on your computer. All you need is a word processing program, Power Point, or a website editing program (like Front Page). You can see some collages at
Collage Town:http://www.collagetown.com/gallery.shtml
In this activity you will make a collage about St Patrick’s Day. How would you like to celebrate that day? Let your collage reflect how you would like to celebrate.
The links below will help you find images to include in your collage. Start by briefly looking at each site. When you see an image or read a sentence you like, save it in your computer. For images, just put the cursor over the image you are interested in and click with your right mouse button if you are using a PC or double click if you have a MAC. Choose “save” and decide where you want to save the image. For words or sentences, just select the text, and copy it onto a document in a word processing program.
As soon as you have a collection of images, open the program you will use to make your collage and paste images wherever you want on the page. You can also add words and sentences if you want. You can edit the images using a photo-editing program and you can edit the sentences in your word processing program (change the size, the font, the colour).
When you finish making your collage, share it with your classmates and explain why it represents your personal view of St Patrick’s Day.
Links: (you can also use any of the links in the other activities)
Extra activities
4. Would you like to know more about St Patrick? Visit:
Saint Patrick Centre online:
http://www.saintpatrickcentre.com/The Centre offers an interpretative exhibition that tells the story of Ireland’s Patron Saint.
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Patrick was later appointed second bishop to Ireland and was successful in converting pagans to Christianity. He travelled around Ireland setting up monasteries, schools and churches - his mission lasted 30 years. He died in County Down, Ireland, on the 17th March AD 461, which has been commemorated as St Patrick's Day ever since. The day is celebrated by the Irish all over the world with parades, festive dinners and dances.
Type: Reference material
