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| LEGENDARY & MYTHICAL FIGURES |
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| SAINT PATRICK - PATRON SAINT OF IRELAND |
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 Who was this guy? And why is he one of the great saints — along with St. Valentine and St. Nicholas — who are celebrated around the world?
HISTORY (probably more fact than legend): |
| was the son of a Roman
couple, Calpurnius and Conchessa, serving in the ruling class.) The child may have been called Maewyn or Succat if of a British Celtic family, or possibly something else, by his parents. But Britain had become partially Christianized under Roman rule, and the boy may have taken Patrick—possibly a Christian or Roman name from Latin "patricius", meaning "patrician, or noble"—at his baptism. As a teenager Patrick was forced into slavery and taken to Ireland—probably County Antrim north of what is now Belfast in Northern Ireland. In the Antrim hills, Patrick was indentured as a shepherd. Ireland—never part of the Roman Empire—was not yet Christian, but pagan, practicing the religion of Irish Celts led by Druid priests. It is likely that Patrick learned Irish Gaelic during this period. At about 20 years of age Patrick ran away from Antrim and got to the Irish coast—possibly east coast at or near present-day Wexford(?)—where he talked his way onto a ship and fled back to Britain (probably Wales, and, if so, maybe back to his family). We next know that he went to Gaul (modern-day France), and, over a period of (perhaps) twelve years, became educated in a monastery in Auxerre under St. Germain, the bishop. He became an ordained priest, spending much of twenty years in Marmoutier Abbey. About two years after Pope Celestine had sent St. Palladius as missionary to Ireland to convert the Celts, Palladius was transferred to Scotland. At the recommendation of his mentor in Gaul, Patrick was made the Pope’s new emissary (and second bishop) to Ireland in the year 432(?). Once in Ireland—where there were four major kingdoms and a tribal society—Patrick and his entourage began by successfully converting the King of Laoghaire to Christianity. The king permitted Patrick and his group to travel throughout his kingdom spreading the new religion. Everywhere he went Patrick attempted to establish local outposts of the religion—schools, churches, and monasteries (which were schools and churches). Several of Patrick’s group were later canonized, too. For many years (30-40?) Patrick and his followers traveled throughout Ireland converting the population to Christianity. The end came—reputedly on March 17 on some year after 460 (possibly 461?)—in northeastern Ireland, possibly at the site of his first established Irish church, called Saul, in or around what is now Downpatrick in County Down, Northern Ireland. Over time the life of Patrick the missionary took on legendary features. Within 300 years he had become practically worshipped and made a national figure without equal in Ireland. Patrick had become recognized as a saint in Ireland long before Rome officially beatified him.
LEGEND (probably apocryphal):
There is almost no written history from the Ireland of Patrick’s lifetime. Remarkably, two documents about Patrick do exist, and both were written by him: his Confession and a letter he wrote to a British noble named Coroticus. THE FESTIVAL IN IRELAND |
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He ridded Ireland of snakes. Island Ireland never had snakes.|
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