Strange And Weird Facts About Ireland For St. Patrick's Day

Ireland, the Emeral Isle, has always been a land of myth and legend, leprachauns and fairies, druids and saints, but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction in the land of Eire. In honor of Saint Patrick's day, the Patron Saint of Ireland, here are some strange and weird facts about Ireland.

Strange & Weird Facts About Ireland

St. Patrick - St. Patrick was not from Ireland but was captured and taken there as a slave. More at: Who Was the Man Known as St. Patrick?

Longest Irish Name: The longest name for a place in Ireland is Muckanaghederdauhaulia, in County Galway. According to Wikipedia, Muckanaghederdauhaulia means "pig-marsh between two saltwaters."

Fort of the Harlot: A village recently called "Dun Bleisce" petitioned and won the right to change it's name back to "Fort of the Harlot," the name by which it was known in the past.

Irish Birthdays: A strange Irish birthday tradition is to pick up the birthday child, turn him or her upside down and bump the child's head gently on the floor for each year of the child's age plus an extra bump for luck!

Longest Irish Name: The longest name for a place in Ireland is Muckanaghederdauhaulia, in County Galway. According to Wikipedia, Muckanaghederdauhaulia means "pig-marsh between two saltwaters."

National Emblem: Ireland is the only country in the world to have a musical instrument -- the harp -- as its national emblem.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Find more strange and weird facts about Ireland at:

Top Ten Most Amazing True Facts About Ireland & the Irish

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Sources & More Info:

Who was the Man Known as Saint Patrick?

The Best of Saint Patrick's Day on Bukisa: St. Patrick's Day History, Crafts, Foods & Poems

Irish Quotes for St. Patrick's Day

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