Top 5 Myths Saint Patrick

1. Saint Patrick was Irish.

Patrick was not Irish. He was born in Roman Britain at a place called Bannavem Taburniae. The exact location of this site is unknown but it is believed to be the town of Ravenglass. In his book The Britons Christopher Allen Snyder ponders upon the merits of potential sites. Patrick wrote a letter detailing his life called The Declaration. This is a fascinating document which shows a man completely devoted to faith, his own father being a deacon and his grandfather a priest.


Roman Ruins at Ravenglass

2. Saint Patrick drove the Snakes out of Ireland.

Ireland has never had any snakes. Why Not? Well up to 15,000 years ago Ireland was covered in ice, snakes could not survive there. When the ice retreated Ireland was cut off from the nearest snake population in Scotland by a twelve mile wide, cold water, channel. Snakes simply could not cross this barrier. Snakes that came to Ireland on ships simply have not had not had a sufficient population density to breed and spread.
To this day Ireland remains one of the few places on earth to have no snakes. If you suffer from Ophidiophobia I would recommend Ireland as the place to live.


                                   Banishment of Snakes





3. Saint Patrick was the first Missionary to Ireland.

There was at least one other before him. Credit for the first missionary to Ireland should go to Saint Palladius. He was sent to Ireland in 431 AD by the then pope, Celestine. His base was the east coast of the island and he died at Cell Fine, modern day Killeen Cormac. So why Saint Patrick not Saint Palladius, as Patron Saint of Ireland? Two reasons. Firstly the Patrick and Palladius names have simply gotten mixed up. Patrick arrived shortly after Palladius and in folk memory they are believed to be the same person. Secondly the Patrick story is much more appealing to storytellers, capture, slavery, escape and the return to Ireland. As much of Irish history from that time was passed down by word of mouth, the not very exciting Palladius story disappeared from recorded history.



Patrick Arrives in Ireland



4.The Saint Patricks Day Parade started in Ireland.

In 1762 the very first parade was held in New York. U.S. Soldiers of Irish origin marched in the streets to celebrate their Irish traditions. Ireland did not have its first parade until 1931 in Dublin.
Why was there no parade in Ireland until 1931? Worldwide parades were used to reconnect the Irish emigrants with their cultural roots, this was not necessary for people living in Ireland. Also until the early twentieth century Ireland was occupied by Britain, a separate Irish culture was not encouraged. Only after the War of Independence and the devastating civil war was it possible to celebrate Irish heritage by way of parade.





St. Patricks Day Dublin, Ireland

5. Saint Patrick used the shamrock to teach on the Holy Trinity.

In his writings this was never mentioned nor is there any other historical evidence to back up this claim. This has simply come from folk stories and was first documented in 1726. The shamrock is a plant native to Ireland, the Irish word being seamrog. In Ireland the shamrock is only worn on the 17th of March. In recent years the popularity of wearing the shamrock has decreased coinciding with the declining influence of the church.


Happy Shamrock






 See more on the book at Saint Patrick

What do the Irish eat on Saint Patricks Day?

What did Saint Patrick eat? Find out at The Food and Drink Saint Patrick Consumed

What Music did Saint Patrick enjoy? The answer is here at The Music of Saint Patrick