Hello, and thank you for joining us for this edition of the Brigid History & Mythology Blog! Today, we’ll be delving into the life and times of Saint Patrick, Ireland’s world-famous patron saint, as well as where he and his mission fit into the story of early Ireland. Read on!
The Most Recognized Saint?
Saint Patrick needs no introduction for most people, since his saints’ day on March 17th is a familiar celebration of Irish culture all over the world. You’ll find St Patrick’s Day festivals in many countries, including Japan, where it’s one of the country’s largest and most popular festivals, complete with bagpipes and Irish step dancing. Each year the holiday brings people together from all walks of life to celebrate Irishness in all its forms, whether or not they’re Irish.
Yet for all his popularity, the life of Saint Patrick himself is murky at best. According to his own autobiography, he was born somewhere in Britain around the beginning of the 5th century. At the same time the Romans were pulling their legions out of the country, leaving chaos and disorder behind. The son of an aristocratic Britano-Roman family, Patrick was thrown into the action when a group of Irish raiders kidnapped him and took him across the Irish Sea as a slave.
Like most of the details of Patrick’s life, where he was taken while in captivity isn’t certain. We know that he was taken by raiders from Dal Riata, an Irish kingdom that extended from North Ireland far into western Scotland. Since the kingdom spanned the Irish Sea, Patrick may have ended up on either side, but tradition holds that he was taken to Ireland. Once there, he spent six years laboring as a shepherd for his captors, learning the Irish language and way of life as well.
When he’d been a boy, Patrick’s father had been a deacon of the church, but he described his family as lax and himself practically an atheist before his capture. While he was in Ireland, his faith returned to him as he dreamed of returning home, escaping from his forced labor. One day, Patrick heard the voice of God telling him that his captivity was soon to end, and to travel far south and find a boat waiting for him.
St. Patrick Escapes Slavery
Patrick escaped his captors and went on a great adventure, traveling hundreds of miles south until he finally came upon a boat. At first, the captain of the boat would have nothing to do with Patrick, but he was eventually won over and allowed the boy aboard. They set sail, presumably for Britain, but it was not to be. Soon, Patrick and the whole crew were in trouble.
The voyage across the sea did not go as planned. Despite Britain being a short trip across the Irish Sea, it took three days for Patrick’s boat to reach land, becoming hopelessly lost and possibly landing in the wilderness of northern France. The crew left the boat behind and wandered for weeks without supplies. When things looked bleak, Patrick received another vision from God claiming that their salvation was near; soon after, when the group found a pack of wild pigs to hunt, his reputation as a visionary had begun.
Patrick eventually made it home to Britain, his adventure having made him a profound Christian. He returned to France and studied for decades to become a Bishop before setting out for Ireland to convert the Irish, including his captors. Even as a slave, his experience in Ireland and with Irish culture had left him committed to what he considered his duty to save the souls of the Irish, including his captors.
St. Patrick Returns to Ireland
His mind was made up when he received another vision, this one of all the people of Ireland crying out to be saved. He landed in Ireland somewhere near Wicklow, in the footsteps of the bishop Palladius, whose missionary work in Ireland had ended in failure.
The stories surrounding Patrick and his exploits across Ireland are too numerous to tell, but one of our favorites is his forty days of prayer atop Croagh Patrick, known as the Reek to locals. Towering over Westport in County Mayo, the mountain of Croagh Patrick is Ireland’s holiest mountain. Since before Christianity arrived in Ireland and to this day, the mountain of the island has been vital to the people around it.
When we made the climb up Croagh Patrick, we encountered a fellow climber who told us that in the days before Saint Patrick, the Druids would ascend Croagh Patrick barefoot, starting out before dawn to scramble over the sharp rocks. While we probably won’t be doing it the Druidic way, we highly recommend the climb, especially as there are many volunteers now keeping the pilgrimage route clear of the mountain’s infamously slippery stones.
The story of Patrick once he arrived in Ireland is full of wild tales, such as his battles with local Druids, kings, monsters, giants, and sometimes even the gods themselves. In one famous story of his efforts to convert the powerful King Laoghaire, he takes part in a battle of magical arts full of wild imagery. Patrick, like many of the church’s early missionaries, often seems to be a wizard as well as a holy man.
The Rise of Christianity in Ireland
Patrick’s lifelong mission would mark the beginning of the decline of Irish paganism. One of his famous myths, that he banished all the snakes from Ireland, is simply untrue if taken literally; there never were any snakes in Ireland, as the climate has never been warm enough to sustain a serpent population. Instead, the snakes are popularly interpreted as a metaphor for the Druids and priests of the pagan Irish religion.
Yet even in his own writing, Patrick never mentioned snakes, shamrocks, Druids, or anything of the sort. Rather than crusading against the Druids, his historical life was probably full of court intrigue as he navigated the local politics of the Irish clan system, converting the sons, daughters, and even wives of Irish kings in a bid to change Ireland from the top down. He spent much of his life founding real churches and monasteries by the hundreds all over Ireland, though many have been associated with him purely because of centuries of church politics.
Like any mythic figure, Patrick was a complex character. His real life saw him and his monastic orders coexisting alongside Irish paganism for centuries, rather than culminating in some explosive showdown. Yet his missionary work cemented the Christian future of Ireland, and in doing so, he sealed his own legacy as Ireland’s patron saint and an irreplaceable part of Irish identity.
