St Patrick arrived in Ireland when the Irish themselves were not yet renowned for travelling the globe. He is now one of the patron saints of Ireland, and his day of celebration is shared amongst Irish people in Ireland and further afield.

Patrick in the Irish Language

The equivalent of the name Patrick in the Irish language is Pádraig.  It can be pronounced as either “paw-rig” or “pawd-rig“.

In fact, the Irish language at the time of St Patrick did not have a native “p” sound! So, the Irish probably adapted the Latin Patricius into a name beginning with “c”.

St Patrick’s Day in Irish Gaelic

The basic way to say St Patrick’s Day in the Irish language is “Lá ‘le Pádraig“. Pronounce it something like “law leh paw-rig“. Do you see the “le” in the middle with an apostrophe before it? This is actually the word “fhéile“, and shortened as it makes the phrase easier to say. “Féile” means festival in Irish Gaelic. “Lá” means Day in the Irish language.

Other St Patrick’s Day Sites

Try Irish-Sayings.com for St Patrick’s Day sayings.