The Holly chieftain., 1923-03-15
One of the Most Widely Known Representations
of the Man Who Carried Christianity to Ireland

Next. following the map and the
historians who vouch for Its reliabil.
ity. he left for the continent, and
sailed from Lian-badrig or the church
of Patrick, on the island Of Anglesea.
From here his footsteps have been
traced to Innis-patrick, the island of
Patrick. where 1t is thought he made
the first landing of his Journey through
ireland. When he finally reached the
Emerald isle proper, he disembarked
at Holmpatrick, another of the many
places named after him. which Is 10
Gated in the county of Dublin.
On the Isle Of Man.
It is believed by some historians
that st. Patrick made detour at
this point and sailed northward
again to the Isle of Man, which they
consequently claim was called Innis-
patrick for some time after to mark
the occasion of his visit. Here, too,
he founded church of kirkpatrick
near the town Of Peel.
After this. 1t is thought, he re-
turned to Ireland and began the
great task he had undertaken. He
landed in the county of Down, where
he was greeted by the armed forces
Of the powerful chief, Dichu, de-
scendant of an Irish king. The chief
and the natives believed Patrick and
his followers were pirates, with which
both land and sea were infested at
that time, and so came out prepared
to defend their possessions. When he
learned Patrick was a harmless mis-
sionary, he was willing to bury the
hatchet.
Made Convert Of King.
To Dichu and the rest st. Patrick
preached the gospel with the result
that he was able to convert the en-.
tire tribe and baptized the chief on
his own threshing floor. So impressed
was Dichu with the missionary and
his teachings that he donated one of
his barns to be used as a temporary
chapel and also gave large plot Of
ground on which the church was to
be built. The only stipulation Dichu
made In granting the land was that
the church. when completed. should
face north and south instead of east
and west.
The barn in which Patrick held
the first religious services while his
church was In the process Of construc-
ton. was called Sabbal-patrick, or
the barn of Patrick, and from this
came the name Of the parish Of Saul
which sprang up about 1t. At Saul,
tradition claims st. Patrick died 30
years or more after his first meeting
with Dichu. About two miles from
Saul is the village of Downpatrick,
near which ara the ruins Of Saul
abbey, one of the many churches said
to have been founded by st. Patrick.
and where some claim his remains
were inferred.
St. Patriek's Church In Dublin.
Judging further from historical
maps, st. Patrick next journeyed to
East Meath. where he founded an
abbey called Domnach-Padrfg or the
house of Patrick. From there he went
to Dublin, where he founded another
church, which 1t is believed. occupied
the site where st. Patrlck's cathedral
stands today.
Other places which bear st. Pat
rick's name as evidence that he had
some historical connection with them
are, st. Patricks purgatory, on an
island Of Lough Derk in the county
OF Donegal; St Patrick's Wood at
Leinster; st. Patrlcks rock at Cashel
and the st. Patrick's wells at which
the good saint is said to have re-
freshed himself are far too numerous
to mention separately.
In his old age he returned to the
place where he first started his labors
as missionary In pagan Ireland with
the chief Dichu. and spent his last
days in the village of Saul. where he
Is believed to have died on March IT,
493 A. D., at the ripe old age of one
hundred and twenty-one yearA