St. Patrick's Day: March 17

Population Distribution

33.7 million
Number of U.S. residents who are of Irish ancestry. This number is almost nine times the population of Ireland itself (3.8 million). <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet> <http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbsum.html>

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Percentage of Massachusetts residents who are of Irish ancestry. Massachusetts has a higher proportion of residents of Irish descent than any other state, edging out New Hampshire (20 percent) and Rhode Island (18 percent). The remaining New England states -- Connecticut, Vermont and Maine -- also rank among the top 10 in this category, as does Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Montana. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>

Coming to America

156,000
Number of U.S. residents born in Ireland, which was among the top 10 countries of birth among the foreign-born population as recently as 1970. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet> <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-18.html>

• As you go out and about this St. Patrick's Day, you may well run into a real live Irish citizen, as about 373,000 tourists and business travelers from "the old sod" visit the United States annually

Trade With the Old Country

$22.4 billion
The value of U.S. imports from the Republic of Ireland during a recent 12-month period (January - December 2002). About half the imports were organic chemicals, worth about $10.8 billion. Meanwhile, the United States exported $6.7 billion worth of goods to Ireland, with the leading exports being nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and parts at $1.6 billion. <http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/>

Pl to Spend the Day

4
Number of pl in the United States named Shamrock, the floral emblem of Ireland. Mount Gay-Shamrock, W.Va., and Shamrock, Texas, were the most populous, with 2,623 and 2,029 residents, respectively. Shamrock Lakes, Ind., had 168 residents and Shamrock, Okla., 125. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>

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Number of pl in the United States which share the name of Ireland's capital - Dublin. Dublin, Ohio, was the most populous, at 31,392, followed closely by Dublin, Calif., at 29,973. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>

If you're still not into the spirit of St. Paddy's Day after stopping by one of the pl named "Shamrock" or "Dublin," then you might consider paying a visit to Emerald Isle, N.C., with 3,488 residents, of whom a ratio of 1-in-6 are of Irish descent. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>

The Celebration

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Gallons of beer consumed per capita by Americans annually. Some establishments offer beer dyed green in honor of St. Patrick's Day. </P>