St. Patrick is Ireland's patron saint.
St. Patrick is Ireland's patron saint.
It is commonly believed that the saint is buried in Downpatrick's
Cathedral graveyard, but the evidence to support this is unsound.
St. Patrick was the
son of a minor Roman official.
Saint Patrick was not actually Irish. Historical sources report
that he was born around 373 A.D. in either Scotland (near the town of Dumbarton)
or in Roman Britain (the Romans left Britain in 410 A.D.). His real name
is believed to be Maewyn Succat (he took on Patrick, or Patricus, after
he became a priest).
St. Patrick was captured
by Irish raiders at the age of 16 and spent six years in Ireland in slavery,
working as a shepherd.
He eventually escaped
to France where he trained as a cleric.
He returned to Ireland
in about 432AD and spent 30 or so years preaching and founding churches.
He used the shamrock,
which resembles a three-leafed clover, as a metaphor to explain the concept
of the Trinity (father, son, holy spirit).
The mountain Croagh
Patrick in county Mayo is sacred to his memory. Legend says that it was
here that the saint rang his bell and the snakes of Ireland fled. The mountain
is still surrounded by mystery and is annually visited by devout pilgrims.