Date of Issue: 11 February, 2008
Denomination: 78c

Although the Irish have celebrated St Patrick's Day as a religious feast for hundreds of years, celebrating the day as a national holiday is little more than 100 years old. In the mid seventeenth century, the feast of St Patrick was extended for use in the Universal Church following the influence of Luke Wadding OFM. This year's religious celebrations were moved to 15 March, due to 17 March occurring in Holy Week, which takes priority over other feasts. This last occurred in 1940, when the feast day was celebrated on 3 April.