Since it’s St. Paddy’s Day tomorrow we thought it is time to give the top 10 things you probably did not know about Ireland!

1. There are about seven times more Americans claiming Irish descent than there are people living in Ireland.

 

2.It was an Irishman named James Hoban who designed the White House.

3.The national symbol of Ireland isn’t the Shamrock – it’s the Harp!

 

4.Like duty free shopping when you travel? You can thank Ireland for that – the tax-free stores started at Ireland’s Shannon Airport in 1947.

5.Ireland became independent in the 1920s and is already on its second female President, meaning the U.S. (and a lot of other countries) has a lot to live up to.

 

6.It was an Irish scientist, John Tyndall, who answered the question “Why is the sky blue?”

 

7.The submarine was invented in Ireland.

8.Halloween was derived from an Irish festival called Samhain

9.The Irish drink of choice isn’t a Guinness – it’s tea! The average Irish person drinks 1,184 cups of tea a year, making Ireland the biggest tea-consuming nation per capita.

 

10.Saint Patrick actually wasn’t even from Ireland! He was born in Roman Britain, and kidnapped and brought to Ireland later by Irish pirates. But he became the patron saint of Ireland, which is why he’s celebrated there today!