EVER wondered why everyone goes potty down the pub for St Patrick s Day? Who actually is St Patrick? Here are some fascinating facts about Ireland s patron saint.
EVER wondered why everyone goes potty down the pub for St Patrick's Day? Who actually is St Patrick? Here are some fascinating facts about Ireland's patron saint.
St Patrick was born around 387 and is believed to have died in 461. He has been described as a Romanised-Celt, of Romano-British origin, and became a Christian missionary.
Two letters from him still survive, which give some rare details about his life. When he was 16 he was captured in Britain by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family.
After entering the church, he returned to Ireland as an ordained bishop in the north and west of the island.
By the eighth century he had come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland.
In modern times March 17 has been celebrated as a holiday. In Ireland it is both a holy day and a celebration of Ireland itself.
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