Saint Patrick

[[File:saint Patrick Catholic Church (Junction City, Ohio) - stained glass, Saint Patrick - detail.jpg|right|thumb|165px|Paddy, me boy.]]{{Christianity}}
In [[Roman Catholic]] mythology, '''Saint Patrick''' (Irish spelling '''Pádraig''') is the patron [[saint]] of [[Ireland]].  He was actually born in [[Britain]] <ref>[http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/who-was-saint-patrick "Who was St. Patrick?"] on [[History Channel|History.com]]</ref><ref>[http://www.biography.com/people/st-patrick-9434729 "St. Patrick"] on Biography.com</ref> (or possibly [[France]])<ref>[http://www.irishcentral.com/news/new-book-claims-st-patrick-was-born-in-france-not-britain-218420661-237768351.html "St. Patrick was born and raised in France not Britain says new book"], ''Irish Central'', 5 August 2013</ref><ref>Marcus Losack (2013); ''Rediscovering Saint Patrick: A New Theory of Origins'', {{Isbn|1782180176}}</ref> when it was controlled by the [[Roman Empire]], kidnapped by Irish raiders at the age of 12, and taken to Ireland as a slave.  He escaped back to Britain, then returned to Ireland as a [[Christian]] [[missionary]] to convert the [[pagan]]s. Because bringing Christianity to Ireland [[Ian Paisley|worked]] [[The Troubles|out]] [[Irish Republican Army|enormously]] [[Republic of Ireland|well]].

His dates are unknown, although probably around the late 5th century CE; he was mentioned by Cummian in 622 or 623 but earlier sources are silent.<ref>{{wpa|Saint Patrick}}</ref> Patrick's writings include one of the small handful of contemporary sources for what was happening in Britain between the end of Roman government and the Anglo-Saxon takeover.

St. Patrick's Day is a joyous festival on March 17 and an excuse to wear green and drink lots of [[Fun:Guinness|Guinness]] and Bailey's. (Basically, an excuse to get drunk.) In Ireland, it is colloquially referred to as "Paddy's Day" while most [[United States|Americans]] prefer to say "Patty's Day", presumably because they cannot go for any length of time without thinking of [[Fast food|burgers]].

==Legends==
*He allegedly banished [[Pagan |snake]]s from Ireland. If the legend is to be taken literally, it's weakened somewhat by the lack of snake [[fossil]]s. Ice ages and the Irish Sea probably ensured lazy snakes never even got to Ireland.<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140315-saint-patricks-day-2014-snakes-ireland-nation/ Did St. Patrick Really Drive Snakes Out of Ireland?], James Owen, ''[[National Geographic]]'', 2014</ref>
*He used the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the [[trinity]] <ref>Tom Stuart, [http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Fellowship/Edit_Trinity.and.Shamrock.html "St. Patrick: The Trinity and the Shamrock"], 22 July 2001</ref> This story has been dated to 1726, more than 1200 years after Patrick's death.<ref>[[wikipedia:Saint Patrick#Patrick uses shamrock in an illustrative parable|Patrick uses shamrock in an illustrative parable]] on [[Wikipedia]]</ref>
*To compete with a [[druid]] in a test of whose god was real or more powerful, they wet and burned their respective holy books to see which would survive, and then set fire to buildings they were in after swapping robes. Allegedly, the druid burned to death inside Patrick's untouched cloak, whereas Patrick survived as the pagan cloak burned around him. To readers of the Bible, it should be obvious where [[Exodus|the idea of testing each other's god]] was ripped from.

==Two Patricks, more or less==
T. F. O'Rahilly suggested the legends about Patrick originally referred to Palladius, who was sent to Ireland by Pope Celestine I in 431 CE. 7th-century [[Hagiography|hagiographer]] Tírechán portrays Patrick as a much tougher, more Chuck Norris-y figure, fighting druids and destroying pagan idols. Two writings by Patrick exist, which may be slightly more reliable about his life but contain none of the famous myths - ''Declaration'' (''Confessio'') and ''Letter to the soldiers of Coroticus''. Hence the theory that there were 2 figures whose stories were confused to generate one St Patrick myth.<ref>[http://goireland.about.com/od/Saint-Patrick-Historical-Notes/a/A-Tale-Of-Two-Patricks.htm A Tale of Two Patricks], About.com</ref>
==See also==
*[[Saint Brigid]]
*[[Saint Christopher]]
*[[Saint Columba]]
*[[Joseph (husband of Mary)|Saint Joseph]]
*[[Santa Claus#Saint Nicholas himself|Saint Nicholas]]
*[[Paul of Tarsus|Saint Paul]]
*[[Peter the Apostle|Saint Peter]]
{{otherlang
|eo=Sankta Patriko
|ga=Naomh Pádraig}}

==External links==
*Works of Saint Patrick in [[wikisource:la:Scriptor:Patricius|Latin]] and [[wikisource:en:Author:Patrick|English]] on Wikisource

==References==
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[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Christian mythology]]
[[Category:Folklore]]
[[Category:Ireland]]
[[Category:Saints]]

Categories: Christians, Christian mythology, Folklore, Ireland, Saints