THE TRUE ABOUT HIM
Patrick was born in or about 415 in Carlisle. He was captured by raiders, when he was 16, and spent this time slaving for a master (six years long) in the west of Killala. Then he escaped to Gaul, and went with his family to Britain.
St Patrick became a bishop (his grandfather was a priest). He is told to have transformed Ireland to a Catholic land with the help of God’s voices, which he could hear.
He wrote a confession, which is of the few documents which survived from the 5th century.
He died about 493
St Patrick’s life was merged with the life of another missionary, Palladius until 1962, when Dan Binchy publicized an article about the truth.
WHAT KIND OF PERSON IS HE FOR US TODAY?
The Irish accept St Patrick as an authoritative saviour of Ireland. He’s a symbol of Christianity although he was not the first one who brought this religion to Ireland. People believe that he had voices from God, which told him to go to Ireland and bring Christianity to those, who have oppressed him.
His image was mistaken with some sectarian aspects of Irish nationalism and people believe that for so long as he was compared with them, the rain poured down on every St Patrick day in Dublin.
Now he’s received as a giant puppet, a symbol of anarchic fun, he looks more like a cartoon hero than a spiritual innovator. And that’s why he is loved by all, he’s much more adored with his new image, because also the children love him and he is famous all over the world. “If I look like an elderly Bart Simpson so much the better”