![]() Lastly there is the saint: an apostle of Ireland, a patron, an intercessor for the Irish, who bestows ‘a sweet smile’ ‘on Erin’s green valleys’, and the possessor of a liturgical feast on March 17. Another theory is that he was more a shaman than a bishop, or that he was the last possessor of strange Druidic powers. He did not bring the ordinary Christianity of the Roman Empire but a special kind of Christianity that is, as it happens, far more user-friendly for today called ‘Celtic Christianity’. Then there are theories: there were two Patricks (aptly named ‘Patrick’ and ‘Old-Patrick’) one died in 461 and the other in 493. And new candidates for this honour appear, on average, once every decade. And there are over a dozen places – from Devon and Somerset, through Wales and the Severn valley all the way up to Carlisle – that claim to be his birthplace. Many people say he went to Ireland to bring Christianity in AD 432, some say he died in 461, but others say it was 493. There are also umpteen tales about him: he fought the Druids, he banished snakes, he was an all-round mighty man. With this goes an image of big bunches of shamrock and greenery. ![]() ![]() ![]() We all know about St Patrick, do we not? First of all, there is the legend, in which he was the man who brought Christianity single-handedly to Ireland. ![]()
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