A Brief History of St. Patrick's Day
Topical Press Agency / Getty
The Irish Colleens
Back in Ireland, St. Patrick's Day was an exception to Lenten prohibitions
as Catholics were allowed to eat meat, dance and drink for one day.
(A traditional St. Patrick's Day feast in Ireland was cabbage and Irish
bacon, a meal which evolved into corned beef and cabbage in the U.S.) In
this 1916 image, girls in Ireland sell shamrocks on March 17.
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