VLOG || St. Patrick's Day in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland

I did something new this year for St. Patrick's Day. I vlogged it. I didn't vlog in the sense that I talked to the camera as I walked around. I'm not that brave to properly vlog in public just yet. I just decided to film the St. Patrick's Day parade in Downpatrick and have some Irish-ish music playing in the background. I go every year to the parade with my Mum where we like to sit on the wall on Irish Street (how fitting) and watch as the groups go by. 

The parade is always led by 'St. Patrick' himself with a couple of Irish wolfhounds for company. They can be seen in the video after the title. 

Downpatrick is named after the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. According to the story of St. Patrick, his body was placed on a cart pulled by an ox. Wherever that ox stopped was going to be the burial place. That place was one of the highest hills in Downpatrick, where the Down Cathedral now stands. The grave and the Cathedral can be seen from any town in the town, especially when it's lit up in green on the week that March 17th happens to fall on. The grave is marked with a large stone which is adorned with daffodils every year on St. Patrick's Day when a Mass is held in the Cathedral that morning. The stone slab was made from granite from the nearby Mourne Mountains that can be seen from the hill There is a plaque beside the grave telling of the legend of St. Patrick.

Saint Patrick was born in Britain. At sixteen he was captured and taken to Ireland where he was sold into slavery. He escaped to France but one night in a dream he heard the voice of the Irish calling him back .How Patrick answered that call and brought Christianity to Ireland is one of the most splendid chapters in our history. 

According to tradition, the remains of Saint Patrick with those of Saint Brigid and Saint Columba who is also known as Columcille, were reinterred on this site by John de Courcy in the 12th Century thus fulfilling the prophecy that the three Saints would be buried in the same place. 

In ancient times, the Gaelic name for the area was Rath Celtair, named after the mythological warrior, Celtchar. Centuries later it was later changed to Dún Pádraig, taking it's named from dún (meaning fort which once dominated the area) before being anglicised to Downpatrick. 

There you go, a brief history lesson. Hands up who learnt anything. 

See my blog post from St. Patrick's Day 2015 here. I wore the same outfit as last year (except for wearing jeans instead of black jeans) and my makeup was from this tutorial.