St. Patrick is considered as the Patron Saint of Ireland. There are many, though, in Ireland that hold him in disdain. These people will never celebrate his legacy or life.
It has been stated that St. Patrick rid Ireland of all of its snakes. Scientists have found that Ireland had not had snakes since icebergs surrounded the island. What could then be meant by the old
legend?Before Christianity began to spread into Ireland, the Druids were the leading religious figures in Ireland. One of the symbols of the Druids was a snake. In Christianity, the snake symbolized the devil.
According to the legend, St. Patrick stamped his staff on the ground to rid the snakes out of Ireland. The snakes that were sent from the island were the Druids.
During the seventh century, the Christian Church taught its missionaries that if they could not convert any natives, they were to use any means necessary to convert the nonbelievers.
The Druids were not interested in giving up their old ways and converting to Christianity. St. Patrick is said to have lead to the murders of almost eight hundred Druid priests and priestesses.
As he would walk by a Druid who would not convert, he would stamp his staff and walk away. His flowers would then attack and kill the nonbeliever.
In Irish folklore, there is a story of a she-beast that St. Patrick banished to Lough Derg (Red Lake). There is an island in the middle of Lough Derg that is called St. Patrick’s Purgatory. It is said that the she-beast called Caoranach was sent to this island.
It was said that there was a woman who followed St. Patrick very closely, but no one ever knew her name. After St. Patrick stated that he had banished the she-beast, this woman was never seen again.
There was an Irish documentary writer who looked into the theory that St. Patrick may have killed a lover on the island in Lough Derg. In 1998, the writer had a team sent into the water to fish around for evidence. I woman’s mummified remains were found in the muck under the water.
Found here.
Being of Irish decent myself and an avid beer connoisseur, I’ll be celebrating for different reasons obviously.