Top 7 Majors to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Every year on March 17th, the Irish and Irish-at-heart celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

The holiday began as a feast to honor the patron saint of Ireland and has grown to an international festival to celebrate Irish culture with parades, bagpipes, Irish music, dancing, special foods, and everything GREEN!

If you love St. Patrick’s Day, why not make it a year round celebration?  MyMajors has put together the Top 7 Majors if you are going to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Why 7?  Well because it’s lucky, and the luck of the Irish is just what you need!

1. 1. Irish Studies Major -Everything you need to know about Ireland and Irish culture is through an Irish Studies Major.A program that focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of Ireland and the Irish Diaspora, from the early Christian period to the present.

   2. Celtic Languages, Literatures and Linguistics Major -Want to learn some Irish terms and historical literature from the Celtic peoples?  You should start here!Focuses on the historical and modern languages spoken by the Celtic peoples of the British Isles, Continental Europe, and Asia Minor, including, but not limited to, modern languages such as Irish, Scots Gaelic, Welsh, and Breton; and extinct or revived languages such as Cornish, Manx, Galatian, and others.*”Céad mile fáilte” and “Sláinte” – check out the Irish words you need to know when visiting Ireland.

   3. Religious Studies Major -On March 17th, Saint Patrick was laid to rest, which marks the celebration of the culture, festival and history. Saint Patrick was a Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland.  Although he was born in Britain, he became a missionary and a religious leader in Ireland.  Religious Studies combines the study of philosophy and religious studies. Includes instruction in logic; ethics; epistemology; symbolism; phenomenology; the sociology, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, literature, and art of religion; and world religions.*Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is located in New York City, and is the largest gothic Roman Catholic cathedral in the U.S.
   4. Music Major -U2 is the most popular band from Ireland, but many other genres and artists came from Ireland including The Dubliners, Celtic Woman, The Cranberries, Van Morrison and the Clancy Brothers. Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys, both American Celtic bands, were inspired by Irish culture and are popular today.  When you think of St. Patrick’s day you might think of bagpipes, harps, fiddles, and flutes, but reed instruments, bodhrain & bones, Concertina (accordion), and other instruments also make up traditional irish folk musical instruments.Music Majors focus on the introductory study and appreciation of music and the performing arts. Includes instruction in music, dance, and other performing arts media.
      

   5. Botany Plant Biology Major –Green is the official color of St. Patrick’s Day, isn’t it?  Well not exactly…the color for Saint Patrick was actually blue, there is even a St. Patrick’s Blue color.  The green came from Ireland’s green landscape and of course the color of the shamrock.  Saint Patrick actually used a shamrock, as the symbol of the holy trinity.  People would wear a shamrock in their Lapel, which later turned into wearing all green.  So now the Shamrock is one of the historical references for St. Patrick’s Day, there is just one other problem… if you ask a Botany Plant Biology Major, they will say there is no one unique plant that is a “shamrock”, many botanist actually find that two species could be the shamrock: Trifolium dubium or Trifolium repens.A Botany Plant Biology major focuses on the scientific study of plants, related microbial organisms, and plant habitats and ecosystem relations. Includes instruction in plant anatomy and structure, phytochemistry, cytology, plant genetics, plant morphology and physiology, plant ecology, plant taxonomy and systematics, paleobotany, and applications of biophysics and molecular biology.

   6. Culinary Science Major -The Potato, Irish stew, boxty, coddle, colcannon, corned beef & cabbage (Irish-American tradition, but did not start in Ireland), irish soda bread, shepherds pie, and fish and chips (started in Britain) are some of the well known delicious cuisines with Irish culture.  But traditional food in historic Ireland would be boiled bacon for St. Patrick’s Day.  The blending of ethnic foods makes Irish food a great way to celebrate and learn how to try and prepare these dishes on your own.A program that focuses on the blending of food science and the culinary arts and that prepares individuals to work as research chefs and related research and development positions in the food industry. Includes instruction in culinary arts, food chemistry, food safety and quality, food processing, nutrition, and business management.

   7. Brewing Science and Engineering –If you are over the age of 21 you can enjoy some of Ireland’s best beers and Irish Whiskey.  Even President Obama has been known to visit Ireland and enjoy a Guinness from time to time.  A large part of Ireland’s international business is brewing and distilling.  Most can start on their own but today more companies need qualified and educated brew masters with formal education in chemistry, engineering, business and fermentation.  UC Davis has a unique program if you are looking to be a Brew Master.  Of course you can go to Ireland and intern at one of the breweries or distilleries.With the continued growth of the brewing industry nationwide and world-wide, owners and managers of major breweries, microbreweries and brew pubs can no longer afford to consider hiring untrained brewing staff. Employers continue to seek professionals who have been trained in the science and engineering of running a brewery operation, as well as those who know and understand the demands of the brewing industry.

Enjoy St. Patrick’s day, enjoy the culture, celebrations and be safe!  If you enjoyed this, please SHARE!

slán!