Ireland and St. Patrick's Day: An Interactive Notebook Activity!

Click here for this free interactive notebook activity.

1. The National Leprechaun Museum in Dublin, Ireland, is dedicated to the folklore and mythology of Ireland.
2. In Irish folklore, there are only male leprechauns. Leprechauns are cobblers (shoemakers) and they usually carry a tiny hammer wherever they go!
3. In 2002, Ireland became the very first country in the world to tax plastic bags.
4. Muckanaghederdauhaulia is the name for the longest place name in Ireland.
5. A burial tomb found near Dublin, Newgrange, may be older than the pyramids of Egypt, and was built about 4000 BC.
6. The Irish monk, St. Brendan, may have reached North America before Columbus, in the 6th century.
7. Halloween has its origins in Ireland. It dates back to Samhain, an Irish festival.
8. Famous people from Ireland include the lead singer for U2 (Bono), Jonathan Swift (author of Gulliver’s Travels), writer C.S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia) and poet William Butler Yeats.
9. Did you know that corned beef and cabbage, a favorite food on St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t have any corn? The term refers to a large type of salt (called “corns”) used to marinate the beef.
10. Hurling is a very popular sport which originated in Ireland.
11. There are NO snakes in the country of Ireland.
12. Since the Bronze Age, Ireland has had their own type of Olympics Games. They are called the Tailteann Games.
13. Leprechaun Day is May 13th. (YES…there is such a day!)
14. The Flag of Ireland has the colors green, white, and orange.
15. The harp is the musical symbol of Ireland.
16. The language of Ireland is called Irish (Gaelic). There isn’t a word for “yes” or “no” in Irish.
17. People who visit Blarney Castle often try to kiss the Blarney Stone. The legend says kissing the stone gives you the gift of being a great speaker. It’s a difficult thing to do as you have to hang upside down to reach the stone!
18. The first St. Patrick’s Day in the United States was celebrated in the city of Boston in 1737.
19. Ireland is called the Emerald Isle because Ireland has lots of green fertile land.

Your  Turn

1. Illustrate one of the facts.
2. Write down the three most interesting facts you learned.
3. Create a postcard pretending you are visiting Ireland. Include three facts in the information you are writing to a friend or relative. Draw/color a picture to go with your postcard.
4. Would you wish to kiss the Blarney Stone? Why or why not?

Teacher’s Page

1. Before giving the students the factoid handout, ask the students to share prior knowledge about the country of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day.
2. Show the students a map of Ireland. Have students make four questions using the map to exchange with another group.
3. Have small groups of students review information on the country of Ireland and share five facts with the rest of the class.
4. Learn some Irish:
   1. Phrase: Thank you
      Irish: Go raibh maith agat
      Pronunciation: Guh row mah aguth (row as in cow)
   2. Phrase: You're welcome
      Irish: Tá fáilte romhat
      Pronunciation: Thaw foil-cheh roath
   3. Phrase: Hello
      Irish: Dia dhuit
      Pronunciation: Djee-ah gwitch
      See more at this link: http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/3Focloir/Lessons1.html
5. St. Patrick's Day provides a wonderful opportunity to introduce your students to the country of Ireland. Did you know that Ireland is called the Emerald Island because of its green fertile lands? Did you know that the Celtic knot is a very famous symbol of Ireland? Other well-know symbols of Ireland include the harp, leprechauns, and shamrocks. Learn more about Ireland with my fun and informative webquest on Ireland includes 12 questions and lots of extension activities.
6. Another resource about Ireland is this fun/informative play that has Ms. Bie Ografee's guest being McSean, a leprechaun. McSean is asked questions by the studio audience about the country of Ireland and the long Irish folklore about leprechauns. Great for a unit on folk stories/folklore or as an activity around St. Patrick's Day. The play has 11 questions, a Did You Know? section, comprehension questions, a teacher page with extension activities, and links as well as an answer key.
7. The Green Game: Need a fun activity where kids have to find answers that have the words GREEN in it or are the color GREEN? Great for St. Patrick's Day or for a Friday.
   NOTE: This resource is INCLUDED in my Ireland Webquest/Activity Resource.

Gail Skroback Hennessey

Illustration from wpclipart.com