Arguably, St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of Irish cultural around the globe, but the very few celebrants truly know the man for which the day is celebrated.

March 17th marks the day of the Apostle of Ireland who died in Saul, a village in County Down, Northern Ireland in 433. Although, Patrick was never formally canonized, he is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, the Church of Ireland (Anglican Communion), and Eastern Orthodox Church. However, Patrick is regarded as equal-to the-apostles and Enlightener of Ireland. Many of us have heard the legend crediting St. Patrick with driving out all of the snakes from Ireland. But, this legend appears to be more of a myth since according to scientists, snakes were not found in Ireland at that time. So how did this legend come to be?

To understand how, it’s necessary to take a look at the of life of Patrick. Patrick was born into a wealthy family in Roman-Britian, area consisting of modern day England, Scotland and Wales, in approximately 386 A.D. Patrick had a comfortable existence, however, at approximately 16 years old, his life would dramatically change and lead to a much different life than he imagined.

While on the family estate, Patrick was captured along with some of the estate workers by Irish pirates who whisked them away and sold them into slavery in Northern Ireland. For the next six years, St. Patrick lived in Ireland herding sheep.

In his book, Confessions, Patrick indicates that it was during this time he came to know God. As his days continued in relative isolation, he dedicated several hours of the day praying and becoming closer to God. He states that one night, while he was sleeping, he heard a voice saying, “You have fasted well. Very soon you will return to your native country.” Patrick says the voice directed him to travel to the coast where he would find a ship that would return him home to his family.

Following these directions, Patrick escaped his captors, eventually ended up at the coast and found a ship that was willing to transport him home.

After returning home to his family, it was not long before Patrick outlined his plans to become a priest. Although his father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest, there were still some objections raised about his plan. Despite these objections, he headed to seminary at Christianity in Auxerre, France. After ordination, Patrick experienced a dream that provided direction for the rest of his life.

Patrick states that in a dream he saw a man, Victoricus, a Christian martyr (died circa 287-303), coming towards him carrying several letters. He handed St. Patrick one of the letters entitled, Voice of the Irish. At that moment, Patrick heard the voices of those people from a region beside the western coast crying out in one voice, “We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk with us.”

Eventually, Patrick was ordained Bishop and sent to Ireland which at the time was considered inhabited by a large population of hostile and barbaric pagans, with only small numbers of Irish Christians living along the eastern and southeastern coasts.

*Using their low draft ships the Vikings navigated the rivers of Ireland to travel throughout the country. They remained in Ireland from approximately 795 AD to 1000 AD.*

Patrick arrived in Slane, Ireland, a city just north of the city of Dublin, on March 25, 433. A majority of Ireland’s population consisted of a hierarchy of pagan tribes posing a formidable challenge to Patrick’s mission. One account states that a druid chieftain tried to kill him, but through an intervention from God, Patrick was spared. Drawing on his experiences as a slave, Patrick was able to speak Gaelic which served him well as he was able to convert the chieftain and his tribe to Christianity.

In addition to speaking Gaelic, Patrick used natural imagery to illustrate the Gospel to the many tribes of non-believers throughout Ireland. One of Patrick’s common teaching tools was a three-leafed shamrock formed from a single stem. Using this abundant resource, Patrick preached the existence of the Holy Trinity. Since that time, images of Patrick frequently show him holding a cross in one hand and a shamrock in another.

Known as “Brian Boru’s harp” it dates back to sometime between the 14th and 15th centuries. It is one of three of the oldest harps of the medieval period from the region. The harp is the national symbol of Ireland and the trademark for Guinness stout.

Drawing on additional language skills, Patrick intertwined Old Latin with symbols commonly used by the pagans to draw connections with Christianity. For example, he found that the “sun” was an important worship symbol of the druids and used its Latin connection for drawing a commonality in the gospel’s references to the “Son.” Eventually the connection became solidified in Irish religious culture as the Celtic cross. By placing a circle, representing the sun, encircling the arms of the cross, the Celtic cross became a visible representation of St. Patrick’s teachings.

Through his work, Patrick was so successful in his abilities to covert the pagan population and construct churches throughout the entire island, he became recognized as the individual who brought Christianity to all of Ireland. Not only is his success celebrated by Catholics, but he is celebrated in the Church of Ireland (Anglican Communion), the Eastern Orthodox Lutheran churches.

*St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, Limerick, Ireland*
*Built in 1168 AD, the Cathedral continues to serve the Catholic community in Limerick.*

Perhaps the myth surrounding Patrick is a metaphor founded a biblical passage related to Adam and Eve. The passage recounts that when God found out that Satan tempted Eve into tasting the forbidden fruit and later shared the fruit with Adam, as punishment God transformed Satan into a snake where he would forever crawl on his stomach.

The Ha’penny Bridge provides pedestrian passage for the right and left banks of the Liffey River that bisects the city of Dublin. The Bridge takes its name from the amount of the toll that was collected from time it opened in 1816 to 1919.

Surprisingly, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations have taken place in American almost 200 years before formal celebrations in Ireland. Irish immigrants in America participated in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations beginning in the early 1700’s. In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day was not officially recognized as a holiday until 1903. On that day, a parade was held in the city of Waterford in conjunction with Irish Language Week organized by the Gaelic League.

*Waterford Crystal craftsmen produce the glass pieces and hand cut the crystal goblets and other crystal objects produced in their Waterford factory.*

In 1916, 38 parades were held throughout Ireland organized by the Irish Volunteers. A month later, the Irish Volunteers organized and carried out the Easter uprising against British rule over Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations were further postponed as Ireland engaged in the Irish War of Independence and a civil war. Celebrations did not formally resume in Ireland until 1931 in the city of Dublin in the newly formed Ireland.

The Post Office in the city of Dublin was the flashpoint for the Irish War of Independence fought between 1919 and 1921. Bullet holes still remain in the exterior of the building and serve as a reminder of the Republic’s battle for independence.

In Northern Ireland, years of internal strife between British sympathizers and Irish sympathizers, forced the postponement of formal St. Patrick’s Day celebrations until hostilities ended in 1998.

*In the cities and other public locations music fills the air. Ireland encourages continuing the arts by allowing visual and performing artists the ability to earn €50 thousand per year tax free.*

As for the relationship of Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and the color green dates back to 1798 and the Irish Revolution. According to New York University professor, Marion Casey, St. Patrick was associated with the color blue. But, during the Irish Revolution, British troops wore red, and the Irish chose green as their uniform color which inspired their rally song, “The Wearing of the Green.” From that point forward, the Emerald Isle has remained green.

King James Castle, Limerick, Ireland. Located on the Shannon River, prior to the construction of the castle, the Vikings occupied the site in 922 AD. The castle is open to the public and includes a visitor center, interactive exhibits and a café.

It seems that it would not be appropriate to end an article about Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day without a celebratory pint (which you will need to provide) and a toast:

May you have all the happiness and luck that a life can hold.

And at the end of your rainbows may you find a pot of gold!

Sláinte (slawn-che) “Health”

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Steve Tabor

This South Bay native’s photographic journey began after receiving his first 35 mm film camera upon earning his Bachelor of Arts degree. As a classroom teacher he used photography to share the world and his experiences with his students. Steve began his photography career photographing coastal landscapes and marine life. His experiences have led him to include portraits and group photography, special event photography as well as live performance and athletics in his portfolio. As a contributor and photojournalist, he has published stories about the people, places and events in and around the Palos Verdes Peninsula and beyond.

Interested in seeing more of Steve’s work, visit website at: www.stevetaborimages.com