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Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents at the end of the fourth century. March 17^th , the day that is associated with Patrick is believed to be the day he died, somewhere around 460 AD. There is much exaggeration about Patrick’s life and his accomplishments.

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What is known, is that at age 16, Patrick was taken prisoner by Irish raiders from his fathers’ estate and here, difference of opinion again comes in to play as to whether he was taken back to Ireland as a captive for 6 years to the area of Mt. Slemish in County Antrim, or more likely to County Mayo near Killaha.

He lived and worked as a shepherd, a frightening, hard and lonely life, which may have sparked his wish to convert the Irish to his Christian faith which he found solace in. After these 6 years, in his own writings, Patrick believed he heard a voice which he felt was God, telling him to leave Ireland. Patrick walked almost 200 miles to the Irish coast and made his escape back to Britain.

Back in Britain, Patrick again had a dream wherein he believed an angel came to him and told him to go back to Ireland as a missionary. Patrick began religious training which took 15 years, was ordained a priest and sent back to Ireland to both minister to the small number of Christians who did live there, as well as to convert the Irish people, the majority of whom were still Pagan.

Being familiar with Irish culture, belief and lore, Patrick was able to incorporate the native rituals and beliefs with those of Christianity without completely removing the symbols and beliefs from their ancestry.

There are several symbols that we, today, associate with St. Patrick’s Day and they also have an interesting history.

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Shamrock

The ancients considered the shamrock to be a sacred plant as it symbolized the rebirth of Spring. When the British tried to seize Irish lands and created laws to destroy the Irish language and culture, the shamrock was worn as a symbol of pride and heritage.

The Snake

It is not true that St. Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland, not in a literal sense. The snakes symbolize the ‘pagan ideology’ which Patrick drove out of Ireland. Within 200 years of Patrick’s arrival in Ireland, the nation was completely Christian.

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Leprechaun

This symbol comes from the ancient Irish belief in fairies. They were believed to be surly, disagreeable little people whose job it was to mend the shoes of the other fairies. The were believed to be very tricky and masters at hiding their treasures.

In 1959, Walt Disney created the American version of the happy and friendly leprechaun in a film called “Darby O’Gill and the Little People”.

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Corned Beef & Cabbage

Cabbage was a staple Irish dish, but was not teamed up with corned beef until the turn of the century as a substitute for the more traditional Irish bacon which was expensive. To save money after immigrating to New York City, the new Irish Americans were introduced to corned beef by their Lower East Side Jewish neighbors, and adopted it, as it was more inexpensive and readily available.