One of America’s biggest holidays, St. Patrick’s Day is not the most important day on the Irish calendar. Boiled pork and cabbage becomes corned beef and cabbage when it crosses the ocean and the concept of ‘little people’ becomes a breakfast cereal celebrity once it hit American shores.

So how did the remembrances of Irish Americans become the March madness of a diverse immigrant nation? How did the story of Ireland’s patron saint develop into a drinking fest to rival any German get together? The history of the Irish people is fraught with conflict, persecution, determination and strength and these qualities are best known in the story of a rich boy turned slave turned Catholic priest and eventually, Ireland’s patron saint.

Patrick was born Patricius in Wales during Roman rule, approximately 1, 500 years ago. This young Welshman had little religious faith, came from a good family and lived an easy life. Until of course he was kidnapped at the age of 17 by slave traders and taken by boat to ancient Ireland. Patrick’s life became that of a shepherd as he tended sheep for his master in the hills of county Antrim. County Antrim is in Ireland’s north and is the same county where the city of Belfast is located today.

After several years in Antrim, Patrick claimed to hear voices telling him to escape which he did returning to Wales for a brief time. But the voices in his head would not stop and Patrick consulted a priest. The priest told him the voice he heard was that of God and Patrick had been called to the Catholic faith.

Patrick then traveled to France to be properly trained in the Catholic faith. Returning to Ireland a few years later as a freeman, Patrick preached the gospel and allegedly converted many of the ancient Celts to the Roman Catholic religion. He also advocated for an end to slavery but it would be centuries before the Christian world agreed with him.

Over time, Patrick would become the bishop of a converted Ireland, punctuating the emerald landscape with monasteries. During the middle ages, it was these monasteries and ones like them across Europe that would preserve language and literature during the upheaval of the dark ages. It is believed that the Celtic cross also stems from Patrick’s efforts as he took a traditional Celtic religious symbol of the sun and added it to the Christian cross to show the connection to potential converts.

Other symbols celebrated on March 17 (the date of Patrick’s death) such as the shamrock were often thought to be from Patrick’s influence. The myth that he used the shamrock to teach the Catholic trinity, the belief that he scared all the snakes out of Ireland and the idea of leprechauns as symbols of the day are not true. Leprechauns came from a 1959 American movie, snakes are an ancient Celtic symbol and the shamrock was worn as a symbol of Irish nationalism not of Catholic belief.  What Patrick did was provide a legend and a symbol of Ireland that carried across the oceans to the new world.

Celtic Replicas Isle of Lewis Celtic Chess Set (board and pieces) Celtic Sun Cross Celtic Bronze Sword Celtic Crucifix of Athlone

Celebrated in the Americas for centuries, St. Patrick ’s Day reminds the country of its immigrant roots and diversity of belief. It also reminds us that whether Irish or not, everyone can come together once a year to remember an historic figure who escaped from slavery, spread a religion and gave an excuse for green colored alcohol.

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