What is the Irish language name for St. Patrick's Day?

The Irish-language name for St. Patrick’s Day is Lá Fhéile Pádraig.

The phrase literally means “the day of the festival of Patrick.” In Irish, “lá” means day, “fhéile” means festival or feast, and “Pádraig” is the Irish form of Patrick. The lenition in “Fhéile” is a normal feature of Irish spelling and pronunciation.

St. Patrick’s Day is held on 17 March, traditionally regarded as the death date of Saint Patrick, Ireland’s foremost patron saint. The holiday began as a Christian feast and later became a wider celebration of Irish culture, especially through diaspora communities in North America.

A common mix-up is confusing the Irish name for the holiday with Irish terms for seasonal festivals. Oíche Shamhna means Halloween night, Samhain is an ancient Gaelic festival associated with the start of winter, and Bealtaine is a May festival. Lá Fhéile Pádraig specifically refers to St. Patrick’s feast day.