St. Patrick’s Day Uncovered: History, Myths, and Legends

Shrouded in the mists emanating from the final years of Roman Britain, the story of St. Patrick’s Day is one rooted in centuries-old customs, myth, and legend. From a somewhat solemn celebration, revellers today embrace everything from dyeing rivers green to huge parades, and raising a glass in Patrick’s honour.

In unpacking St. Patrick’s Day, we’ll uncover not just a fascinating history of one man’s mission, but also a celebration that’s transcended religious origins to become a symbol of cultural identity, unity, and festivity for people from all over the world. The story of St. Patrick’s Day is a craic-ing yarn!

We wouldn’t have St. Patrick’s Day without St. Patrick! Almost nothing is known with any certainty about his early life but most sources suggest he was probably born in the late fourth or early fifth century AD, at the very end of Roman rule in Britain.

The Mystery of Patrick’s Birthplace

There are believed to be two surviving works written by Patrick, one of which – Confessio – is partly autobiographical and gives clues as to where he was born. Yet, to this day, the mystery of his actual birthplace remains unsolved.

What is well-known is that he wasn’t actually born in Ireland. According to Confessio, he was born in Bannavem Taburniae, and even the most learned scholars of the geography of Roman Britain aren’t sure where that is! One popular theory places Patrick’s birthplace near the area around Carlisle (in present-day Cumbria, England) or possibly southwest Scotland.

Some researchers have identified it with the Roman site of Bannaventa in Northamptonshire. Though the names are similar, it’s not a widely accepted idea. Another hypothesis places Bannavem Taburniae closer to the Severn Estuary or in Wales, drawing on the idea that Patrick’s family may have owned land in or near the western coastal regions with active trade routes to Ireland.

However, most experts agree that we simply don’t know for certain where Bannavem Taburniae was located, only that it was somewhere in Roman Britain, likely along or near a Roman frontier.

As we know, Patrick was born in the late fourth or early fifth century AD. His father Calpurnius may have been a local official known as a decurion, and was also described as a deacon. His grandfather Potitus was probably a priest. Nothing is known of his early life, but at the age of sixteen, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish raiders, possibly from a Gaelic kingdom known as Dál Riata, and brought to Ireland as a servant or slave. After six years, he managed to escape, but returned later as a missionary with a profound calling to spread the word of Christ. He’s further credited with baptising thousands of people in Ireland, establishing churches, and playing a central role in converting Ireland from its ancient beliefs.

The Story of the Snakes

One of the most popular legends in the story of St. Patrick is that he banished snakes from Ireland. Geological and biological evidence suggests there hadn’t been native snakes in Ireland for 10,000 – 12,000 years (since the last Ice Age). The story – probably written around the twelfth century by Jocelin of Furness – likely emerged as a metaphor for St. Patrick’s efforts to convert the pagan Irish population to Christianity, with snakes symbolising pagan beliefs and practices. It was a tale that developed his enduring reputation as the heroic champion of the Emerald Isle.

Patrick’s Later Years, Death & Veneration

The year of Partick’s death is unknown – likely to be between the mid-450s and the early 490s – and it’s believed he died on 17th March. While he was never formally canonised by a Pope in the modern sense (the Catholic Church didn’t put this into practice until around the tenth century), he’s venerated as a saint around the world. Many early saints (including Patrick, and David, the Welsh patron saint) were universally acclaimed or ‘canonised by popular devotion’ before formal papal canonisation was standard.

Though St. Patrick’s Day was officially placed on the Christian calendar in the early 1600s, the Irish people had been paying homage to their beloved saint in more localised and informal ways for hundreds of years.

Original traditions of St. Patrick’s Day were deeply rooted in religious and national identity. Celebrants would attend church services, wear shamrocks as a symbol of the Holy Trinity, and gather for modest feasts. The day provided Christians a respite from the prescriptions of Lent, allowing them to indulge in food and drink that were otherwise forbidden during the period leading up to Easter. As the holiday spread beyond Ireland’s shores, particularly with the Irish diaspora in the United States, new customs emerged, such as parades and more elaborate festivities.

Modern St. Patrick’s Day traditions centre around colorful parades, lively music, and a celebration of Irish heritage, often with plenty of emphasis on the colour green. People commonly wear green clothing or shamrocks to symbolise their connection to Ireland and pay homage to St. Patrick who is supposed to have used the three leaves of the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.

In many countries, friends and families gather for festive meals, which might include corned beef and cabbage, and other traditional Irish foods such as soda bread, colcannon (a mix of mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale), and Irish stew, and Irish pubs fill with revellers toasting the holiday with Guinness or whiskey. Some cities, such as Chicago in the USA, famously dye their rivers green, while others around the world host elaborate parades and festivals that showcase Irish dance, music, and folklore (known in the Gaelic language as a cèilidh), with the New York City parade being one of the oldest and largest.

St. Patrick’s Day, with its deep historical roots, colourful customs, and enduring legends, offers far more than a chance to wear green and join a lively parade. It’s a tribute to the remarkable life of Ireland’s patron saint and the centuries of tradition that have shaped Irish identity.