St. Patrick's day it seems was a reverent religious observance in old Ireland. Only in the 20th century after it became a raucous drinking holiday in the United States, was it adopted as such in Ireland, for the purpose of promoting tourism. Corned beef and cabbage (also known as 'New England boiled dinner') was not eaten in old Ireland. Cattle were raised and kept as dairy animals, but beef was not really much a part of the Irish Menu. They ate bacon with boiled cabbage, but in the United States, corned beef was somehow substituted for bacon (less expensive?).