Pat was born in 387 A.D. in Britain as Maewyn Succat.  At 16 he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland.  He escaped six years later and studied in Tours, France, to become a priest.  In 431 A.D. Pope Celestine I named him Patricius and sent him back to Ireland to rid the place of Druids (damned tree-huggers!).

According to legend, St. Paddy used the three leaves of the shamrock to explain the Trinity to the heathens, but he didn't actually drive any snakes out of Ireland. That was just a poetic way of saying he got rid of the Druids.

To make the day, we will tell you one of the few clean jokes we know:

Q: What's Irish and outside?

A: Paddy O'Furniture.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

PARTIES: St. Patrick's Day parties in the South Sound

THE FUN POLICE: The band is bringing it Sunday night

HISTORY: The history of St. Patrick's Day in Tacoma

FOOD: Corned beef and cabbage breakdown

PREDICTION: With the staff dealing with extreme hangovers, the Volcano's weekly Monday morning editorial meeting will be held in the dark, with plenty of coffee and everyone speaking in whispers. Of course, the same could be said for ALL Volcano editorial meetings, but still ... this time there's a legitimate reason for the hangovers.