St. Patrick: Fact & Fiction

The Feast of St. Patrick is now celebrated in nearly every country in the world where Irish descendants or influence have continued to reinforce its popularity, but Perhaps there are things you didnt’ know about St Patrick…..

Who was St. Patrick?

The man largely responsible for converting Ireland to Christianity over nearly 30 years in the 4th century – [Comment by The Mole: reputedly “kidnapped” by the Irish from West Wales – so St Patrick could actually be Welsh – The Irish are also actually only the Welsh that could swim!]

Was he real?
He was most definitely real, even if the facts about his life have been freely mingled over the centuries with legend and make-believe. A written document, his Confession, is tangible evidence of his authenticity.

Where did he come from?
An important thing to remember about Patrick is that he was not Irish. In fact he was what nowadays at least would be called British, even if he was of Roman parentage.

How did he first arrive in Ireland?
As a 16 year-old and named Succat, he was captured in a raid by the Irish King, Niall of the Nine Hostages, [Comment by The Mole – see he was Welsh!] and sold into slavery, working as a herdsman for six years on Slemish Mountain in County Antrim.

How was that slave turned into a missionary?
After six years as a slave in Ireland, Patrick managed to escape to France from his master, Milchu. Legend has he dreamed that the people of Ireland were calling him back and so returned to Ireland as a missionary.

When did he die & where is he buried?
It is believed that St Patrick died on March 17th between 460 and 490 ad. He is believed to be buried in the grounds of Down Cathedral in Northern Ireland.

What’s the connection with St. Patrick and the ‘Shamrock’?
Legend has it that in attempting to explain the three-in-one principle of the Holy Trinity to the pagan King Laoghaire (pronounced Leary); St. Patrick found the three-leafed shamrock a convenient teaching aid. The father, The Son and The Holy Ghost.

What is shamrock?
The reality is that shamrock is a form of clover – Trifolium Repens known in Irish as seamair bhán) or more likely Trifolium dubium, to give its botanical pedigree – and only looks different from what one might expect because it is picked so early in spring.

And now for a language lesson ready for St Patrick’s Day: –

“HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY” transatates into:

“BEANNACHTAÍ NA FÉILE PÁDRAIG”: repeat after me………………!

Phonetically it sounds like:

“BANNOCHTEE NAH FAYLAH PAWDRIG”: agian repeat after me……………!

Did you know?

** St Patrick is credited with establishing the Leap Year tradition of women proposing to men. The story states this was because St Bridget complained that women were tired of waiting for marriage proposals. The story also says that Bridget proposed to him, but he refused;

** St Patrick arrived in Ireland with 24 of his followers in the winter of 432;

** The first St Patricks Day parade was not in Ireland but in Boston in 1737;

** Up until the 1970’s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17th, but beginning in 1995, however, the Irish Government changed this law;

** The original colour of St Patrick was not green but BLUE!  In the 19th century, however, green came to be used as a symbol for Ireland;

** Queen Victoria in 1900 ordered that soldiers in Irish regiments should wear shamrock on St. Patrick’s Day in memory of fellow Irishmen killed in the Boer War.  Therefore, Shamrocks worn as a symbol of remembrance predates the red poppy of Flanders fields;

** Although St Patrick is said to have driven all the snakes from Ireland, there were never any snakes in Ireland.  Some people believe this to be a metaphor for the conversation of pagans;

The earliest recorded evidence of St. Patrick’s Day being celebrated outside of Ireland, other than by Irish soldiers, is provided by Jonathan Swift, the Dublin-born author of Gulliver’s Travels.

In his Journal to Stella, he notes that in 1713 the parliament at Westminster was closed because it was St. Patrick’s Day and that the Mall in London was so full of decorations that he thought “all the world was Irish”.

Some St Patrick’s Day Toasts for you to try on the day!

** “May your glass be ever full, may the roof over your head be always strong and may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows your dead!”

** “May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow and may trouble avoid you wherever your go”

** “The Scots have their Whiskey, the Welsh have their tongue, but the Irish have Paddy, who’s second to none”

Places of St Patrick in Ireland

Croagh Patrick: Croagh Patrick, colloquially called “The Reek”, is God’s conical shape beacon above the town of Westport in the West of Ireland. The summit is the holy ground on which St Patrick supposedly rested, fasted and reflected during all 44 days of lent in 441AD. Here too, according to legend, is where Ireland’s patron saint banished the snakes from the island. It has been a place of pilgrimage ever since. The mountain is renowned for its annual Patrician Pilgrimage in honour of Patrick. On the last Sunday of July each year, its slopes are full of pilgrims, many barefooted, climbing to the summit to attend Mass in the ancient stone church. Near the base of the mountain is Tobair Padraig, or Patrick’s Well, named for the natural spring nearby where Patrick baptized his first Irish converts.

Lough Derg [Red Lake] Co Donegal: The Island contains a shrine to St Patrick. Legend says he killed the lake monster there and its blood dyed the water red. Many people go there on three-day pilgrimages to pay from the first of June to the 15th August. Lough Derg is said to be a cure for the seven deadly sins!

Downpatrick Shrine, Norther Ireland: The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (originally named Church of Dendalethglass) is where St Patrick, St Brigid and St Columba are believed to be buried. A bell, tooth and hand from St Patrick were discovered in the 12th Century. St Patrick’s hand was enshrined in silver and placed in the high altar of the Abbey Church. Water was poured through it to heal sores. The bell and tooth are now in the National Museum of Dublin.

Dublin: St Patrick’s Cathedral (built on St Patrick’s Day 1192 over four older churches) has a stone slab called St Patrick’s Well Stone. The Stone covered the remains of St Patrick’s Well from the ninth century AD, where St Patrick baptized converts and was unearthed in 1901.

St Patrick’s Centre, Downpatrick: The only permanent exhibition in the World dedicated to telling the story of St Patrick. An interactive exhibition and IMAX presentation. The Centre offers a café, art gallery, craft shop, toilets, terraced gardens and Tourist Information Centre. It is a must-see stop for travellers with an interest in Christian Ireland. Guided tours of St Patrick’s Country can be organised with the Centre.

A St Patrick’s Day Report by The Mole!