St. Patrick was a missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century. He was born in Britain. He is Ireland’s patron saint and apostle.
A few of the legends about him:
- He drove the snakes of Ireland into the sea. Since there is no fossil evidence that snakes ever existed in Ireland, and snakes represent evil in the Bible, this is metaphorical.
- He raised 33 people from the dead.
- He prayed for food for hungry sailors and a herd of pigs appeared.
- He illustrated the Holy Trinity by using a shamrock, pointing out the three leaves and the single stalk.
St. Patrick’s Day commemorates the day traditionally seen as St Patrick’s death, March 17. Another legend about St. Patrick is that he ordered a whiskey in a bar and that glass was not full. He then told the bartender that there was a demon bent on avenging the stingy pour, and then St Patrick’s Day was celebrated with whiskey and beer. This, like the snakes, is probably not true. But the tradition of “drowning the shamrock,” dunking a shamrock in whiskey and then drinking it, remains.