March is officially designated as Irish-American Heritage Month in the United States, and on the 17th of the month each year people across the US mark St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday with Christian roots that has morphed into a broader celebration of Irish culture.
Irish is the second-most frequently cited ancestry among US residents, behind only German, according to data from the US Census Bureau.
More than 33.5 million people nationwide claim Irish ancestry, which is more than seven times as many as the current population of Ireland.
And Massachusetts is a stronghold for people of Irish descent.
Matt Rocheleau can be reached at matthew.rocheleau@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mrochele
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