Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig dhuit!
Today is the feast day of the Patron Saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick.
Saint Patrick was born sometime in the 5th Century although it’s unclear exactly when or where he was born. He is also said to be buried in Down Cathedral, Downpatrick, County Down but this has never been proven. Despite that, it hasn’t deterred Christian pilgrims from visiting and worshipping at the site for over 1600 years.
Most of the information available about Saint Patrick comes from two documents that he left behind. The first was his autobiography ‘Confessio’.
The second was a letter he wrote to the soldiers under the command of Coroticus. Patrick allegedly excommunicated the men, after the warlord kidnapped newly converted Irish and took them back to Britain, were they were sold into slavery.
The shamrock is a common symbol used during the feast day celebrations.
The Legend of Saint Patrick
Patrick or Patricius, the name he used in his writings, was not in fact Irish he was actually Romano-British. His father was an aristocratic Roman administrator or decurion. The popular legend goes, that soon after Patrick turned sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish Raiders and taken to Ireland and enslaved for six years. He eventually escaped and returned home to Britain. During his captivity he’d converted to Christianity. A few years after returning home, following a vision, Patrick returned to Ireland to bring Christianity to the island.
This story has recently been reinterpreted. Patrick as the son of a decurion was required to serve on the town council. It has been argued that, rather than being kidnapped, Patrick may have fled to Ireland to avoid his obligations.
Another famous legend concerns snakes. Ireland doesn’t have a native snake population and it’s believed that Saint Patrick chased the snakes off the island, after they began to attack him during a forty day fast.
The shamrock is a common symbol used during the feast day celebrations and it’s thought that Patrick used the three leafed plant as an illustration of the holy trinity.
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