This Massive Mistake Antagonizes South Buffalo Every Year

As we approach a major celebration in Western New York, there are some things you should be aware of ahead of the big day. 

First, you should know that a large portion of the United States population has some relation to Irish descent. In fact, more than 31 million people in the U.S. have Irish ancestry, which is more than 6x the overall population of Ireland. (Currently, Ireland has a population of 5,089,478 people in 2024.)  

Secondly, Buffalo is ranked as one of top 10 places to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, which is one of the most highly anticipated days for the month of March.  

Ranked #9 in a recent study from Wallethub, Buffalo has an amazing St. Patrick’s Day parade in the Old First Ward with tons of events to express your Irish pride, which you can find here.  

But the one thing you want to get right: is it St. Patty’s Day or St. Paddy’s Day?

Many people will insist that the only acceptable shortened form of the day is St. Paddy’s Day, which may seem odd because his name is St. Patrick. However, the reason it is shortened to “Paddy” is due to the translation of the original name. 

“Paddy” comes from the shortened form of the original Irish spelling of the name “Patrick,” which is Pádraig. That’s why many people will shorten the holiday to “St. Paddy’s Day,” over the alternative spelling. 

You can call it “St. Patty’s Day” if you want, but our Irish friends in South Buffalo may not be too pleased to hear the Americanized version of the holiday.