Happy St. Patty’s Day, No, It’s Paddy, Not Patty

Some Irish people have been taking to the net and to facebook to educate people on the history of St. Patrick's day and the Irish Independence. At first I thought it was hog wash, but after a little investigating I found this out.

It's called the Paddy not Patty campaign. Don't call it St. Patty's day, or St Paddy. According to Gawker

"Patty" is a woman's name. The nickname used for a man named Patrick, for example, the man named Patrick who is credited with converting great swaths of Ireland to Christianity, is "Paddy," from the Irish Padraig. Calling St. Patrick's Day "St. Patty's Day" is like referring to Christmas Eve as "Christie's Eve" or Hanukkah as "Helen's Festival of Lights."

Gawker goes on to say, if you want to Celebrate St. Patty's Day, Here's what you are celebrating.

Saint Patricia was born into a noble, possibly royal family (some sources describe her as the niece or granddaughter of Constantine the Great) in Constantinople (now Istanbul). When Patricia—"Patty," to you—was a teenager, she fled to Rome to become a Bride of Christ (nun). Later, she left for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Along the way, her ship was caught in a storm and she and her party were shipwrecked on a tiny island near Naples, where she established a chichi prayer community. She fell ill and died at age 21.