St. Patrick is largely known for chipping away the Druid influence prevalent in Ireland and introducing the Irish to Christianity. According to legend, St. Patrick is equally known for driving the snakes from Ireland, although some believe this is more likely symbolic of his putting an end to paganism. Dr. Ralph F. Wilson has written an interesting article on the history of St. Patrick, most of which is based upon the confessions of St. Patrick himself. As fascinating as all that may be, today's observations show little religious influence, except for maybe the shamrock which St. Patrick used to symbolize The Trinity.

So why do so many of us dress up like leprechauns, eat corned beef and cabbage and drink green beer? According to the rumblings at Brian's Belly, this is the work of our Irish-American cousins. For instance, corned beef and cabbage is actually an adaptation of a traditional Irish meal of cabbage and Irish bacon. To brush up on your Irish cookery, visit the LovingYou.com site, and get ideas for a St. Patrick's Day feast. I also found more sumptuous recipes at Potluck O' The Irish. The Shamrock Chocolate Mint Brownies and the Leprechaun Cake sound especially tempting! For your enjoyment, they also provide links to dozens of other Irish recipe sites.