Ireland. A History. A Nation Once Again? Part I. Иностранный язык. Фомина И.В - 8 стр.

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antiquity, and indeed was referred to by the Graeco-Roman writer Solinus two
hundred years before Patrick was born.
   Later still is the association of the shamrock with him. It was customary in Ireland
to use the shamrock as an aperitif, and the placing of some sprigs of it in a toast was
no doubt the origin of ‘drowning the shamrock on the feastday’ of the saint. The
actual wearing of the shamrock as a badge on St Patrick’s Day is hardly more than a
few centuries old, but old enough for some creative mind to notice that its trefoil stem
offered a neat parallel to the Christian mystery of the Trinity. Thus we are told that
Patrick, being exasperated in his efforts to impress this doctrine on his Irish audience,
stooped down and picked up the shamrock, explaining that just as three leaves can
spring from one stem so also there are three persons in one God.
   The Irish people, however, have not confined their fascination with St Patrick to
environmental and theological legends. Down through the centuries they have
invented many other stories of a curious and sometimes humorous nature. He is said,
for instance, to have met survivors of the epical heroes of old Irish tradition, the
Fianna, and to have obtained baptism posthumously for their fellows. It is also
claimed that he blessed and cursed various parts of the country, depending on the
preferences of the storytellers, and that he ordered that tavern-keepers should always
give extra value for money on the day of this feast.
   St Patrick’s Day has always had a special meaning for the Irish. The national
holiday, which falls on March 17, is an occasion of great celebration not only for the
native Irish themselves but also for many thousands of people of Irish background
throughout the world. While the principal parade in Ireland is in Dublin, many cities
and towns throughout the country hold parades. Parades and marching band
competitions have become the order of the day, and participants come from all over
the United States, Canada, Britain and continental Europe, to join in the festivities.
Word of the fun has spread to such an extent that nowadays the period of celebration
has increased to a week.
   So Patrick, the slave-boy forcibly brought to Ireland from abroad, has become to
many generations of Irish people the epitome of all that they considered best in their
culture – a courageous and protective figure, proficient in miracles, scrupulous in
teaching, but full of human kindness and with his own puckish sense of humor.

II. Answer the questions.
    1. How many legends about St Patrick are referred in this text? Retell them in
       brief.
    2. What explanation did St Patrick give using shamrock as an example?
    3. What do you know about St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Ireland and the
       other countries? Why do you think this holiday is so popular?
    4. Do you know any traditions and symbols connected with St Patrick’s Day?
    5. Do you know the saints who are believed to be protective figures for other
       peoples?

III. Retell the text.