Irish Sea

Irish Sea

In looking at the calendar, today is St. Patrick's Day. That's when people in America sort of pretend they are Irish. There's no other holiday quite like St. Patrick's. It's one holiday in America that is wrapped up in a foreigner, and just the way Americans have observed the day has shaped the thinking in this country about St. Patrick. This holiday has turned out to be one of the most delightful holidays observed.






Lush Green Cliffs over Blue Sea, Northern Ireland

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Just who was St. Patrick? Eventually Patrick escaped to France where he kept having a dream in which God wanted him to return to Ireland and teach the people about the Catholic faith. Patrick became a bishop and returned to Ireland.

As he walked through the villages and farmlands to tell people about his religion, Patrick became known and loved by the Irish people. He taught many of them to read and to write. In his lifetime, Patrick converted all of Ireland to the Catholic church. A favorite legend about Patrick's good works says he charmed the snakes and led them to the sea, ridding the country of snakes forever.

Patrick died around 460 A.D. He is buried somewhere in Ireland. No one knows exactly where. The date of his death, March 17, has since been known as St. Patrick's Day. It's a national holiday in Ireland. People all over the world, Irish or not, celebrate a day of cheer and goodwill in honor of the Irish and their patron saint.

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