Mural of Saint Patrick
Who was Saint Patrick?
Patrick was born in Britain, in the 5th Century, to a Romanized family. However, when he was 16, a group of raiders captured Patrick and forced him into slavery. He was sent to Slemish Mountain in County Antrim, Ireland to work as a sheepherder. It is said that he had a dream where he saw a ship ready to set sail. He then escaped his captors and made it back to Britain on the very same ship. While back in Britain, Patrick had visions, telling him to return to Ireland and spread the word of Christianity. He died on the 17th of March of natural causes.
What miracles did he perform?
The miracle most commonly associated with Saint Patrick is that he drove all of the snakes out of Ireland with his crozier (a hooked staff carried by bishops). Everywhere that Patrick went, there were stories of ‘evil things’ slithering around in the fields and forests. One day, Patrick climbed on top of a hill overlooking the sea and said a prayer, causing snakes to slither out from all directions and slid into the sea. As the story goes, there were then no more snakes in Ireland. While that is the common story, it is not believed that snakes have ever been native to Ireland. It is also widely believed that the ‘snakes’ are actually a symbol for paganism and
Shamrock (3-Leaf clover)
Patrick driving them out was actually converting them to Christianity.
Saint Patrick is also commonly associated with the Shamrock, a 3-leaf clover. This is because he used it often to describe the Holy Trinity. With the shamrock having 3 leaves, he explained each leaf being The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.
Saint Patrick’s Day Facts and Myths
How do you say Happy Saint Patrick’s Day in Irish?
