- St. Patrick was not Irish. He was born a Roman-British citizen in 385 A.D. At 16, he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland. After 6 years, he escaped his enslavement. Upon his return to Wales he was able to pick up the pieces of his life. Exhibiting great resilience, he became a priest and with forgiveness in his heart he returned to Ireland to serve the people.
- A four-leaf clover is considered lucky but it is not considered a shamrock. Only three leaf clovers are shamrocks and are associated with St. Patrick. Four-leaf clovers are so rare that when a person finds one they are deemed very lucky and life will be good for them!
- Leprechauns were not originally part of St. Patrick’s Day. Here is what FW.com has to say about these little sprites: “According to Irish legends, people lucky enough to find a leprechaun and capture him (or, in some stories, steal his magical ring, coin or amulet) can barter his freedom for his treasure. Leprechauns are usually said to be able to grant the person three wishes. But dealing with leprechauns can be a tricky proposition.”
- American tradition holds that wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day will make us invisible to the leprechauns. Leprechauns are thought to be especially mischievous on St. Patrick’s Day. They go around pinching people for fun. It stands to reason then that if a leprechaun cannot find us, then he cannot pinch us. Forsake wearing green at your own risk!
- Kissing the Blarney Stone for luck and eloquent speech began as a myth in 1440 when Cormac Laidir MacCarthy was in a lawsuit that he desperately needed to win. He called upon the goddess of love and beauty, Cliodhna, for help. She told him to kiss a particular stone on the way to court and he would win the case with his speech. He did it and he won! He installed that stone in Blarney Castle and millions of visitors come to kiss it every year. The saying “kiss me, I’m Irish” came from the idea that kissing an Irish person is believed to be the next best thing to kissing the Blarney Stone itself!
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Kissing the Blarney Stone is believed to give the kisser eloquent and persuasive speech. This is such a fun and grand idea! Since our children may never get to Cork, Ireland to kiss the Blarney Stone, it is important that we provide the opportunity to learn the language that builds eloquent and persuasive speech. We can all agree that learning this skill starts at home with a child’s first best teachers, their parents or caregivers. When the time comes to make the transition from home to school, parents to teachers, our kids will need more than just good language skills. They will need healthy social and emotional skills for success. That’s where KITS comes in! We are here to partner with parents and families during this exciting transition to school and give kids tools for a successful future.
Visit our sign-up page to find out which Oregon School Districts will be hosting KITS this summer!
