The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-03-17
local DEPARTMENT.


sr PlrRrcK's DAr.-To.day is the ami
,or.ary OF the birth Of ST. Patrick, the patron |
soint Of Irelnnt-a day which has always |
been celebrated by Irishmen ns holiday and |
season Of merry-making, and to-day VIII be
appropriately observed by our Irish fellow
citizens.
Almost rs many countries have contendea |
for the honor Of being the birthplace OF ST. |
Patrick as In the case Of Homcr-Scotlnnd, |
England, France and Wales each furnishing |
its pretensions. According to most authorl- |
ties, however, the patron saint Of ireland was |
born near the site OF Fitzpatrick, nj the mouth |
of the Clyde, In Scotland, about the year 5's, |
and when only sixteen years OF age was car
ried off nv pirates, who sold him INTO slavery
In Ireland. where his master employed him as
n swlneherd on the wcll-known mountain oil
sleamlsh, In the county of Antrim. Here he
acquired a knowledge Of the Irish language,
and made himself acquainted with the man.
ncrs, habits and customs of the people. Es
Gaping from captivity, and, after many ad-
ventures, reaching the continent, he was sue
Cesslvcly ordained deacon, priest and bishop;
and then, once wore, with the authority Of
Pope Celestinc, he returned to Ireland about
the year 400 TO preach the Gospel to Its then
heather Inhabitants. So extraordinary was
the effect of his preaching that, though
not absolutely the first to Introduce Chris
tlanity Into that country, he has always re-
ccivcd credit of Its general conversion. He
baptized the Kings of Dublin and Munster,
and the seven sons of the King Of Connaught,
with the greater part of their subjects, and
before his death had converted almost the
whole island to the faith. ST. Bernard tcsti-
hes that he fixed his metropolitan sec at Ar
magh, and II appears that he appointed sew
cral other bishops, with whom he held Couu.
ellis to settle tho discipline of the Church
which he planted.
lie was undoubtedly man of benevolent
disposition, as the popular legends of his
driving the venomous reptiles out of ireland
founding churches. abbcys, &C., and pro.
noting strict habits of temperance among
his people would seem to indicates and 1t Is
said that the footsteps Of st. Patrick can be
traced, almost from the cradle to the grave,
Nv the names of places named after him
certain 1t Is that he accomplished many ben
Ctcial results In the heather country by In
Producing Christianity among IL people, and
breaking down the fanatcal supcrstitions
and rites Of the druidiCal prIc.t-.
The greatest of ST. Pairigk's miracles wa;
that Of driving the vcuOmous reptiles out o.
Ireland, aud rendering the Irish soil foreve
after so obnoxious to the serpent race tina
they instantaneously die on touching ii.
As the birthplace Of s.. Patrick has been
disputed, so has that Of hi, burial. But tn,
general evidence Indicates that he wa
buried at Down Patrick, and the remains .
st. Colomb and 81. Bridget were laid beside
him, according to the old Monkish dstCh:
''Tt JurGo Dunno iWDiulc tuJawldHturi il, mo
Briqida, Pd,ricis, aigps Co1,umLr Piw."
Which Is thus rendered.
"On the hill of Down, both in one tomb
were Bridget and Patrlcius. with Columbg
the Pious."
The shamrock. or small white clover (tr;
fvliuJ, rspsu of botauistsO Il almost uni
versally worn in the hat all over Ireland o,
ST. Patrick's Day. The popular notion /,
that when St. Patrick wa preaching IN
doctrine of the Trinity TO the Pagan Irish
he used this plant, bearing three leaves upo
ono stem, as A symbol or Illustration of th
great mystery. 70 suppose. as some ab
surdly hold, that hc used il as an argument
would be deropatorv 10 the Saints high re
putation for orthodoxy and good sense, bu
il is certainly curious coincidence. If moth
ing more, that the trcColl in Arabic Is calle
Shamrrth, and was held sacred in Iran. a
mathematical of the Persian Triads. Pllny
TOO. I'm his Natural History. (" saws that ser