Happy St. Patrick's Day ~ Éirinn go Brách

+ Stephen Colbert celebrates St. Patrick's Day (love him or hate him, he made me laugh here)
+ Barrack Obama has an Irish great, great, great grandfather (Belfast Telegraph)

The longest-running Saint Patrick's Day parade in Canada occurs each year in Montreal, Québec. The parades have been held in continuity since 1824; however, St. Patrick's Day itself has been celebrated in Montreal as far back as 1759 by the Irish soldiers of the Montreal Garrison, following the British conquest of New France.
In Canada, Saint Patrick's Day is an official holiday only in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Some groups, notably Guinness, have lobbied to make Saint Patrick's Day a federal (national) holiday.
In Manitoba, the Irish Association of Manitoba runs an annual three day festival of music and culture based around St Patrick's Day. (Source: Wiki)

Toronto's City Hall has what is called a "courtesy flag pole" where other countries' flags are flown on special days of the year. The Irish flag is flown every year from March 11 - 18 in "Recognition of Irish Heritage and Cultural Appreciation Month" (The Greek flag will be flown on March 25 in honour of Greek Independence from the Turkish Ottoman Empire)