So when we celebrate St. Patty's day, do you guys know what we're celebrating? It's not exactly St. Patrick driving snakes out of Ireland.

Aside from being Ireland's national holiday, March 17th marks the death of St. Patrick. He was born in AD 385 within the Roman empire and given the pagan name Maewyn, raised like many others at the time as a paganist. Irish bandits sold him into slavery when he was 16 years old, and during his captivity he became closer to Christianity. Somewhere around this time he took on the christian name Patrick and because of his talents was appointed as the second bishop to Ireland's growing church.

Celtic Druids at the time hated Patrick. Not only was he converting pagans, but he was darn good at it. He was arrested several times but each time managed to escape to continue on with his mission, setting up numerous schools, churches, and monasteries across the country.

He spent thirty years converting and teaching until he finally retired and eventually died on March 17th, AD 461.

What about the snakes?

Well as for them, snakes were never native to Ireland. The story of St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland was likely a metaphor for the conversion of Paganists.

And shamrocks?

St. Patrick used shamrocks in his sermons to represent how the Father, Son, and the Holy spirit could exist seperately yet still be part of the same whole. A shamrock as a metaphor for the trinity, smart guy huh?

Learn more about this author, Mike Mcdonough.
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