Other emerging issues in the Respiratory Diseases topic area include: 1  Assessing the impact of climate change (temperature extremes, the increased geographic span of allergens, and air quality) on asthma causation and exacerbations.
St. Patrick's Day became an official public holiday in Ireland in 1903 with the passing of the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act 1903, which was introduced by Irish MP James O'Mara. In 1927, O'Mara introduced the law that banned the sale of alcohol on St. Patrick's Day to prevent drinking on a religious holiday. The law was changed in 1961 to permit legal drinking, but only at the Royal Dublin Society Dog show.
Most so-called Christian holidays have a pagan origin. Saint Patrick's day may be a little different. Although today the holiday is certainly wroth with pagan idolatry, this appears to be a case of a Christian holiday being made pagan rather than the usual pagan holiday being made Christian. Saint Patrick's day is a relatively modern holiday. It was probably first celebrated in the 10th century by the Irish in Europe as a kind of national day. The Catholics began to celebrate it as a feast day for a Saint named Patrick in the 1600's. It wasn't named as a holiday in Ireland until 1903.