12 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About St Patrick's Day

5. St Patrick's Day Parades Are An American Thing... Not An Irish Tradition

The home of the St Patrick's Day parade is not Dublin, Belfast or Cork - it is in fact New York City, USA. The first parade was held in the American city on March 17, 1762, when Irish soldiers who had been sent out to colonise the continent decided to attempt to reconnect with their roots. There are now more than 100 St Patrick's Day parades held in the US every year - including one in Illinois, where the Chicago River is dyed green - while the first one to be held in Ireland did not take place until 1931, when Irishmen paraded through Dublin.