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Did you know that Saint Patrick, known as the Patron Saint of Ireland, was actually born in Britain? Don’t let common myths fool you. In any aspect of life, whether it’s business or once a year on St. Patrick’s Day, it’s essential to have correct and trusted information. With the proper tools, such as TIBCO EBX® software, ensuring your enterprise’s master data management (MDM) is consistent and accurate has never been easier. Keep reading to learn the facts from fiction when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day—and some data management best practices you can deploy to keep misinformation out.

Saint Patrick’s Birth Name Is Not Patrick

Saint Patrick was born to a wealthy family with the British name “Maewyn Succat” near the end of the fourth century, according to Irish legend. After becoming enslaved at just 16 and escaping several years later, he began studying Christianity once freed. Maewyn changed his name and adopted the title “Patricius,” or Patrick as we now know it, when he became a priest. “Patricius” derives from the Latin meaning for “Father figure” and was the name he used in Ireland.

Green Isn’t Ireland’s Official Color

Believe it or not, the color green is not the official color of the country. The official color of Ireland is azure blue, and according to the Smithsonian, blue was the original color designated to honor Saint Patrick. The association of green with St. Patrick’s Day became more prevalent as the holiday spread and was adopted around the world. However, there is no official inception of where the “wear green” tradition comes from, but several theories could be likely. According to Time Magazine, it could be because Ireland is known as the “Emerald Isle,” the color of the shamrock Saint Patrick championed, or an urban legend that leprechauns would pinch you if you were not wearing the color of spring.

The First St. Patrick’s Day Parade Was Not in Ireland

The US Census Bureau states that nearly 10 percent of Americans claim Irish ancestry so it makes sense that the holiday is beloved in the US. Records show that the first Saint Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17th, 1601, in a Spanish colony under the direction of an Irish clergyman, Ricardo Artur, in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. The more ostentatious interpretations of St. Patrick’s Day seen in many U.S. cities such as Boston and Chicago began in 1762 when Irish soldiers who served in the British military marched through the streets of NYC “to reconnect with their Irish heritage.”

Leverage Accurate Master Data Management 

Holiday festivities and fun facts aside, having the most accurate information is important, whether in your personal or professional world. Want to use the best data in your business? Master data management is a business-led program for ensuring that your organization’s shared data—aka master data—is consistent and accurate.

Here are three key ways you can ensure high-quality data for your business:

1. Use master data management tools to maintain and synchronize a single source of truth through semantic reconciliation. These tools can manage multiple domains and ensure data governance across all of them.
2. Create a data quality program, run by experienced data stewards, that ensures standards and data integrity. Standardize data values and remove duplicate data for streamlined database reporting.
3. Design a master data model that refines data into master, reference, and metadata. Once you’ve identified all your data sources, you can centralize and consolidate them. 

To learn more about the inner workings of TIBCO EBX® software, our master data management solution, and how to help your organization leverage consistent, accurate, and governed intelligence, read The Ultimate Master Data Management Implementation Guide.