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The single most influential individual in the history of Ireland,
St. Patrick was born c. 385 A.D. in Banna Venta Berniae, Britain
to a Romanized family. His father, Calpornius, was a deacon and
his grandfather, Potitus, a priest. Around the age of sixteen,
he was captured and sold into slavery in Ireland where he remained
for 6 years working as a herdsman.
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While in captivity his faith deepened. After six years he heard a
voice telling him that he would soon go home, and then that his
ship was ready. He escaped to Gaul (France) where he became a monk
and later rejoined his family, but after several years had a 'vision'
urging him to return to Ireland. "I saw a man coming, as it were
from Ireland. His name was Victoricus, and he carried many letters,
and he gave me one of them. I read the heading: "The Voice of the
Irish". As I began the letter, I imagined in that moment that I
heard the voice of those very people who were near the wood of
Foclut, which is beside the western sea-and they cried out, as
with one voice: "We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come
and walk among us."
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| Slemish, County Antrim, where Patrick is said to have
worked as a herdsman while a slave. |
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On returning to Ireland, Patrick baptised thousands and converted
many Irish tribes to Christianity. According to popular legend,
St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. Although there never
actually were any snakes in Ireland, it's generally accepted that
the serpents in the story are symbolic of paganism. One historian
has suggested that the snakes referred to the serpent symbolism of
the Druids, pointing out that coins of the time from Druidic Gaul
bore this symbol.
Legend also has it that it in his teaching Patrick used the three
leaves of the shamrock to illustrate the Christian concept of 'three
divine persons in the one God'. Whether or not the story is true,
the shamrock has ever since become the national flower and symbol
of Ireland.
Much of what we know about Patrick comes in the form of two letters written in Latin which have survived and are generally
accepted to have been written by the saint. The earlier, and less important, of the two is an open Letter to Coroticus, in which
St. Patrick announces that he has excommunicated certain British soldiers of Coroticus who have raided in Ireland, along with Picts and Irishmen, taking some of Patrick's converts into slavery.
In the second letter, the Declaration or Confessio, St. Patrick gives a short account of his life and mission. Click here
to read more about his life in the words of the great man himself.
After the death of St. Patrick, a battle was fought between the Ui Neill and Ulaidh clans
over his remains. He is said to be buried underneath Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, County Down,
alongside St. Brigid and St. Columba, although this has never been proven.
Originally a religious holiday to honour the death of St. Patrick,
the 17th of March has evolved into a worldwide celebration for all
things Irish. The first St. Patrick's Day parade in the USA occurred
on March 17, 1762, in New York City, featuring Irish soldiers serving
in the English military. Today, St. Patrick's Day is the one national
holiday that is celebrated in more countries around the world than
any other.
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