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Various legends have grown up concerning St. Patrick, the most popular of the Irish saints.
St. Patrick was not well-educated, a fact he attributes to early captivity. Because of this, it was with some reluctance that he was sent as missionary to Ireland, and only after the first missionary, Palladius, had died. Perhaps it's because of his informal schooling in the meadows with his sheep that Patrick came up with the clever analogy between the three leaves of the shamrock and the Holy Trinity. At any rate, this lesson is one explanation for why St. Patrick is associated with a shamrock.
St. Patrick is also credited with driving the snakes out of Ireland. There were probably no snakes in Ireland for him to drive out, and it is very likely that the story was meant to be symbolic. Since Patrick converted the heathen, the snakes are thought to stand for the pagan beliefs or evil. Where he was buried is a mystery. Among other places, a chapel to St. Patrick at Glastonbury claims he was interred there. A shrine in County Down, Ireland, claims to possess a jawbone of the saint which is requested for childbirth, epilectic fits, and to avert the evil eye.
While we don't know exactly when he was born or died, this Roman British saint is honored by the Irish, especially in the United States, on March 17 with parades, green beer, cabbage, corned beef, and general revelry. While there is a parade in Dublin as the culmination of a week of festivities, Irish celebrations on St. Patrick's Day itself are predominantly religious.
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∙ 10y ago
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Are there any legends about Saint Patrick?
Saint Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland is just a myth since that country has never had snakes.
What were Saint Patrick's legends?
The best known legend says that Saint Patrick drove all the snakes from Ireland when that country never had any snakes to begin with.
What did Saint Patrick do to be named after Saint Patrick's Day?
You have it backwards. Saint Patrick's Day was named after Saint Patrick. March 15 is the Catholic feast day of Saint Patrick.
What if you where born on Saint Patrick's Day?
If you were born on March 17 then Saint Patrick is your secondary patron saint (after your namesake) and deserves some special recognition from you on that day.
Why was Saint Patrick's Day created?
Every known saint is assigned a feast day. The feast of Saint Patrick is March 17 which some believe is the day of his death.
Who did Saint Patrick marry?
Saint Patrick was not married.
Was Saint Patrick a thief?
No, Saint Patrick was not a thief.
What links Saint Patrick to Down Patrick?
Saint Patrick is buried in Down Patrick, Northern Ireland
Is Saint Patrick also know as another saint?
No, Saint Patrick is Saint Patrick and not known by another saint's name. His birth name, however, was Maewyn Succat.
Is Saint Patrick a folk tale?
No, St. Patrick was an actual person. However, there are many tales and legends that have grown up around the story of this saint.St Patrick himself is not a folk tale. Some stories about him (for example, the one about "driving the snakes out of Ireland") may be.
Is Saint Patrick the patron saint of Scotland Walls or Ireland?
Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.
Is Saint Patrick the Patron Saint of this country?
Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, Montserrat and Nigeria.
