The man behind the name

Since Saint Patrick's Day is fast approaching I thought it would be nice to talk a little about the man, Saint Patrick himself. I've noticed over the past few years this holiday has become increasingly more popular and it got my little brain started (when my brain kicks in there's no stopping it). Once I craned my neck to see past all the hoopla of green hats, pots of gold, shamrocks and green beer (thank God that one only surfaces once a year!) I realised that I didn't know much about the man himself. Well, that's not entirely true, I know all about how he suspposedly chased all the snakes from Ireland, but beyond that I knew nada. Horrible isn't it. ('m not Catholic and not very religious - I know there are tonnes of people out there who could tell me all about him, but come on, cut me a little slack and humor me) Added to this, I've come, embarrassingly enough, to associate Saint Patrick with those little jolly Leprechauns (damn that commercialised retail society we live in!). So, with an itch that needed scratching I set out on yet another research mission to find out who the heck the man behind the name really was.

Who was Saint Patrick? Well, sit down and let me tell you...

He is the patron Saint of Ireland and one of Christianity's most widley known figures yet he and his life remains somewhat of a mystery. His is a life that has been abound with numerous stories, one of which being the famous casting out of all the snakes in Ireland (which has been proven false by the way). But, who was he?

He was born in Britain to a wealthy family during the 4th Century. Surprisingly enough, his family was not a very religious one. When he turned 16 years old he was captured on his family estate by Irish raiders. These Irish bandits brought Patrick to Ireland where they kept him prisioner for 6 years and it was during this captivity that he looked to religion for comfort. While in captivity he also had a dream. In this dream he believed God spoke to him telling him to escape. He listened and escaped fleeing to Britain. Once there, he experienced another dream, this time it was an angel that appeared. The angel wanted him to return to Ireland and preach. He followed the angel's advice and returned to Ireland with the intension of becoming a Missionary. During his time spent in Ireland he noticed that much of the religion practiced in Ireland was pagan based (even the Christians) and he decided to incorporate these traditional Irish rituals into his Christian preachings. The best example of this is the "Celtic Cross". Patrick had the Sun (an extremely imprortant Celtic symbol) fused on to the Christian Cross and it is still widely recognised today. He also decided to intermix Irish lore and culture in his Christian teachings as well and this may be why there are so many stories surrounding the life of St. Patrick now. Lastly, it is believed that he died on March 17.

That is what I've found. Does it answer my question of who was Saint Patrick? Well, it's a start. Perhaps I'll plan a trip to Ireland and see what else I can dig up. Interestingly enough, I was in Britain a couple of years ago and not once did I hear or see anything that was linked to Saint Patrick but for now, my brain is statisfied with this little peek into his life so I shall leave it alone.

On Saint Patrick's Day, when you have your green beer in hand and you raise your glass to give a "Slainte" (a toast) perhaps you'll remember my little post and choose to say one of these little ditties;

1. May God bring good health to your enemies enemies.
2. May you live to be a 100 years, with one extra year to repent
3. May you be in heaven one half hour before the Devil knows your'e dead
AND my personal favorite;
4. Here's to you
Here's to me
The best of friends we'll always be
But if we ever disagree
Forget you here's to ME!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone!