14 Things You Never Knew About St. Patty’s Day

10. The Irish in America

Pretty much anyone who’s ever taken a history course knows that the United States was built, in part, on the backs of Irish immigrants. These days, their ancestors account for more than 35 million Americans, or just over ten percent of the US population. That number is actually about nine times more than the number of Irish people living in Ireland. They’re the third most populous group in the country behind German Americans (number 1) and African Americans (number 2).