The Luck of the Irish

Why did St. Patrick drive all the snakes out of Ireland? He couldn’t afford plane fare. Despite the jokes, St. Patrick actually did not drive any snakes out of Ireland because there were no snakes in Ireland. He did, however, Christianize Ireland in the fifth century, thus earning the namesake for the famous annual St. Patrick Day holiday that is celebrated worldwide. St. Patrick was born with the name Maewyn Succat, as history goes, and he was actually not a native-born Irish. It is thought that his birthplace was either Scotland or Roman England, and though scholars differ, many agree he was born either 390 or 373 A.D. Patricius was his Roman name, but most knew him as Patrick. The son of a Roman-British army officer, Patrick was kidnapped by a band of pirates in south Wales one day, along with a group of other boys. He was sold into slavery for six years in Ireland, and most of the time, held captive. While he was imprisoned, he claimed that he had a dream where he saw God. According to the story, God told him in his dream that he would escape in a ship. As legend would have it, he was able to escape and then travel to Britain, and then to France, where he spent 12 years in a monastery training under St. Germain, the bishop of Auxerre. Once he became a bishop, he had another dream – one that summoned him back to the Irish to spread the word of God. With the Pope’s blessing, Patrick returned to Ireland to convert the Gaelic Irish to Christianity. Most of them were pagans at the time. For 20 years, Patrick traveled throughout Ireland, preaching, baptizing and confirming Irish people nationwide. He was even able to convert some members of the royal families. He was arrested many times and contradicted the Celtic Druids (the pagan religious sect), but was still able to set up many churches and schools about the country. According to the legend, Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to conceptualize the Trinity for the Irish people, using each of the three leaves to depict the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Evidently, he also placed a curse from God on the poisonous snakes in Ireland, where he then drove them and drowned them in the sea. It is more likely that this was an allegory for the Celtic Druids, rather than actual snakes, as Ireland never had any. Patrick died March 17, 461 A.D., and ever since, that day has been commemorated as St. Patrick’s Day. It began as a Catholic day of feasting, celebration and remembrance, but has extended to a cultural celebration of the Irish worldwide. As you enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day, reflect on the history of the day and know that it means more than just wearing green or waving a shamrock. It is the celebration of the heritage of a people who are proud of how and where they came from.