Gaelic Matters > History of Saint Patrick

A Short History of St Patrick

A concise History of Saint Patrick

St Patrick was born  in Britain with the full name Magonus Succatus Patricius and was the son of a relatively prosperous family. However, his life took a difficult turn when he was captured  and enslaved by Irish pirates at the age of just 16. It is believed he was taken to the west of Ireland, most likely County Mayo, where he was put herding sheep in what were miserable and very lonely conditions.

After 6 years of tough treatment, he managed to make his escape to France or Gaul as it was then known. He became a priest but returned to Ireland after a number of years and his mission began. It was a mission that would last some 30 years in the fifth century.

St Patrick´s mission in Ireland

While Patrick gets the credit for converting the Irish Celts to Christians, he wasn´t the first priest in Ireland. Believe it or not, when he arrived there was probably already  a substantial number of Christians in Ireland.

There is also not much evidence in St Patrick´s background to suggest that Patrick was a serious academic theologian. However, what makes St Patrick´s history unusual, is that he was one of the first to really try to convert non-Christians. While other clerics concentrated on working with the already established  Christian community, Patrick had an evangelical zeal. As a bishop he made great efforts preaching the Christian word to the non-Christians Celts.

St Patrick, history´s Christian pragmatist

It seems that St Patrick was a man of the world  too  and adapted to the social situation in Ireland, as it was then, by keeping in with the local rulers and chieftains,  to ensure safe passage and reduce the risk of trouble. Other clergy may not have approved but it helped him to be very successful in his mission.

Saint Patrick, the Legend emerges

In the 6th to 8th centuries, the history of St Patrick became the stuff of legends and he became recognised as the founder of the Irish Church.

It is difficult to know where that real history of Saint Patrick ends and the legend begins. He is linked  in stories to meetings with other great saints though he may never have met or even been alive at the same time as them. But there are also stories of him driving the snakes out of Ireland, fighting monsters, raising the dead and in conversation with the great warrior heroes of Ireland's folklore (the Fianna).

Ireland is full of evidence  of his presence with holy wells, lakes and hills all connected with Saint Patrick. He is of course also associated with the Shamrock, the Irish clover.

St Patrick´s Mountain

Pages related to History of St Patrick

Some great St Patrick´s Day poems

Some St Patrick´s Day humour with these jokes.

Learn a little about the little plant so linked to the history of Saint Patrick, the Shamrock

I have used the Encyclopedia of Irish Spirituality by Phyllis G. Jestice as a reference for this page.

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Gaelic Matters > Irish Translation

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Did you know that Saint Patrick was not an Irish man or the first to bring Christianity to Ireland? Learn a little of the History of St Patrick.