Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in the TEFL classroom

St Patrick’s Day may celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, but it’s a Saint’s Day recognised worldwide. March 17th is, for so many, an opportunity to wear green, enjoy Irish music, and get together to celebrate Irish culture.

Paddy’s Day is celebrated in Ireland, of course. Still, it’s also rapturously cheered in vast parts of the English-speaking world: USA, Canada, Australia, Scotland, England and New Zealand all have big parties. It’s not just there, though. Argentina, Munich in Germany and even the Caribbean island of Montserrat, where the 17th of March is a public holiday, celebrate Paddy’s Day.

The art, poetry, music, and—forgive us—the craic have all made Ireland incredibly popular. Irish people are considered some of the friendliest in the world, and when Irish TEFL teachers travel to different countries, they’re usually received very well. Perhaps you’re one of them, reading this now. Conas atá tú? Get in touch and talk to us about teaching English as an Irish person.

So, how can St Patrick’s Day form the basis of a fantastic TEFL lesson? How can this wonderful Saint’s Day celebration make it into your plans as a teacher? Let’s find out together.

Idea 1: Terminology and crafts

We love a craft-based lesson here, especially if you’re working with young learners. Many of the classic emblems and images of Irish culture will seem super obvious: shamrocks, harps, the Irish flag itself. However, those images lend themselves incredibly well to some classroom wall art and are a great opportunity for your learners to discuss the significance and history of Irish iconography.

Your TEFL students can speak about the chosen icon and its history. They can learn about the Harp, which represents Brian Boru , the last High King of Ireland. They can cut out and colour in massive shamrocks representing Saint Patrick's teachings . The Claddagh Ring and the Celtic Cross— there’s lots to explore here. Your students can give presentations, create posters and engage with terminology and iconography as they perform craft exercises.

Sounds like a fun lesson to us!

Idea 2: Music

Using music in the classroom is a guaranteed way to shake things up. Ireland has an incredible musical history, with traditional music passed down through generations and some of its most essential songs logged for posterity in Dublin's Irish Traditional Music Archive.

If you want to be really old school, teaching your students about traditional Irish instruments like the fiddle, Celtic harp, Irish flute, pennywhistle, uilleann pipes, and bodhrán makes for a fun lesson. 

Or, if you’re talking about Irish rock and pop, Thin Lizzy , The Pogues , The Dubliners , the Cranberries , My Bloody Valentine , Sinead O’Connor, and countless others offer a wide variety of sounds. 

Nowadays, Irish music is as diverse as anywhere, with artists like Fontaines DC , Hozier and CMAT finding enormous acclaim. 

What does any of this have to do with TEFL? That's a good question, and the answer is even better. Using music in the TEFL classroom is an excellent method of engaging students and helping them use critical thinking skills in another language. 

You can play songs and ask your students to review them in English, interpret the lyrics, or make comparisons between different artists. Students can research famous Irish musicians, from Van Morrison to U2, and give presentations. With some imagination on your part, there’s no real ceiling to what you can do.

Idea 3: Irish poetry

Poetry is another of Ireland’s most revered cultural markers, and it’s because the country has produced a frankly staggering number of brilliant poets. W.B. Yeats , Paula Meehan , Seamus Heaney , Katharine Tynan , Oscar Wilde , Eavan Boland , James Joyce and countless other greats have emerged from Ireland, and all have written works which are ideal for teaching a range of complex English concepts.

Teaching tone, syntax, metaphor, and simile can sometimes present a challenge if you’re planning lessons for more advanced students. Poetry shows these concepts in action, and by reading poetry aloud, students can explore the rhythm of words and pronunciation and, overall, tap into their own inner poet.

Much like music, there’s room for critical thinking here, too. It isn’t learning by rote. Asking students what Seamus Heaney means in a poem like ‘ Digging ’, for example, will help TEFL students engage with Ireland’s agricultural history and themes like the role of art in society and the importance of family traditions. There’s a lot there, and that’s just one Irish poem.

Yes, it’s weighty, but if you have talented students you’re keen to test, you could do far worse than Yeats, Wilde and the rest. We know; that couplet was terrible. Sorry.

Idea 4: Who is St Patrick? A presentation

We’re giving all our best ideas away for free here, but here’s one more to get the creative juices flowing. Your students can get into groups and research the man of the hour, Saint Patrick himself.

Where did he come from? What did he do? What is his legacy? These are all interesting questions for TEFL learners of all ages. It doesn’t have to be a religious lesson, but it’s an interesting opportunity to study the history of one of Ireland’s most important figures.

A lesson plan that involves self-motivation and independent study can help students expand their vocabulary, use their critical thinking skills, disseminate information (in English), and present their ideas to a class. It’s also a valuable way to nurture public speaking skills, especially if you ask each student to contribute to a presentation on Saint Patrick. 

If you celebrate Paddy’s Day, it’s a good idea to know about Paddy, isn’t it?

Spraoi a bheith agat/have fun!

St Patrick’s Day is a fun, unique, and important celebration in the cultural calendar. It is an opportunity to celebrate Irish culture and the country's influence on the rest of the world and a great way to strike up conversations about traditions, the written word, iconography, music, poetry, and more.

The holiday is an ideal way to promote group work, craft tasks and other lessons that have fun at their core but can be incredibly useful in the long term.

A final note: it’s not called “Patty’s Day.” If you must, “Paddy” is short for Patrick. “Patty” is short for Patricia. The Feast Day for Saint Patricia of Naples is on the 25th of August, in case you’re interested.

Now, get out there and have fun. Slàinte Mhath!

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