Can You Answer These 4 Questions About St. Patrick's Day ?

Shamrocks
The shamrock first seems to have shown up, in written Irish, in 1707, when it was spelled "sheamrog." It first showed up in English, wwaaaayyy back in 1571. In 1681 it was worn as a badge on St. Patrick's day. If you thought this custom was unique to the 1900's and new millennium, you're wrong. People have been wearing shamrocks for three centuries, and then some.

The Irish Volunteers used the shamrock as their emblem in the 1770's. Queen Victoria's Irish regiments, a century later (give or take a few years) were forbidden to display shamrocks because the shamrock became a symbol of Irish rebellion. Civilians wore a small red and green paper cross in lieu of the shamrock.

We've come a long way, baby! In these times, on St. Patrick's Day, a member of the British Royal Family presents a shamrock to the Irish Guards regiment of the British Army.

Leprechauns
How tall are leprechauns? These Irish fairies are said to be around two feet tall. They are pictured with a cocked hat and a leather apron, because they are shoe makers. The story is that if you can catch a leprechaun, you can make him tell you where he has hidden his precious pot of gold. The catch however, is that you must keep your eyes on the little fellow every second. If you look away for even an instant, the leprechaun will vanish, and there go all your chances to get to the pot of gold!

The Blarney Stone
The Blarney Stone is set in the wall of Blarney Castle's tower...figures, right?! Blarney Stone - Blarney Castle. The castle is in the Irish village of Blarney. It is said that kissing the stone will bring the kisser the gift of eloquence (or blarney!). I sometimes joke that I didn't kiss the blarney stone, rather I got hit over the head with it! However, that would apparently mean the whole castle clonked me! Although there are people who would go along with that theory too, it's really not so (I can already hear a chorus of "Oh DARNS!").

The stone was set in 1446 when the castle was built by Cormac Laidhiv McCarthy (the Lord of Muskerry). He wasn't taking any chances: the castle walls are 18 feet thick, which apparently was necessary to discourage Cromwell and William III's troops.