Who was St. Patrick?

St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He was born in the 19th century in Wales. His father was a noble man and a deacon to the church. Patrick was abducted when he was 16 and brought to Ireland where he was sold as a slave. He worked as a shepherd on Slemish Mountain in County Antrim for 6 years until one night an angel came to him in a dream told him that his boat was waiting for him. With that he left and ran 200 miles to a boat.

He travelled to Britain and then to France where he spent 20 years as a monk in Marmoutier Abbey. He then received a celestial visitation in a dream telling him to return to the land that had enslaved him, although now he was to return on a mission, to enslave and to convert.Patrick and 24 of his follower arrived in Ireland. Patrick decided to talk to the High King because if he was the most powerful man in Ireland. Patrick spoke to King Laoghaire. While he was there he plucked a shamrock from the ground and tried to explain the to the druids and the King that the shamrock had three leaves just like God had three personas - The Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost. This was called the Trinity. King Laoghaire was very impressed and chose to accept Christianity. He also gave Patrick the freedom to spread Christianity throughout Ireland.

Patrick is thought to have died on the 17th of March sometime between 463AB and 493AD. There is a dispute as to his place of burial; the site with the strongest claim seems to be Down Cathedral, where a large slab of rock on which the word Patrick is inscribed protects 'the grave' of St Patrick.

Also did you know that:
According to legend Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland, however snakes are the symbol of Paganism, Patrick rid Ireland of Pagans.
The Book of Armagh included a note directing all monasteries and churches in Ireland to honour the memory of the saint by 'the celebration, during three days and three nights in mid-spring.
Patrick was called to Rome in 432 whereupon Pope Celestine bequeathed the honour of Bishop upon him before he left on his holy mission to Ireland
The veneration in which the Irish have held St Patrick is evidenced by the salutation, still common today, 'May God, Mary and Patrick bless you'.
Homage to Patrick as Ireland’s saint was apparent in the eight century AD. At this time Patrick's status of national apostle was made independently of Rome.
Patrick was claimed locally as a saint before the practice of canonisation was introduced by the Vatican

St. Patrick's Day with friends 2007

St. Patrick's Festival was established by the Government of Ireland in November 1995.

The principle aim of St. Patrick's Festival, since its inauguration, is to develop a major annual international festival around the national holiday over which the 'owners' of the festival, the Irish people, would stand proud. It sets out to reflect the talents and achievements of Irish people on many national and world stages, and it acts as an exciting showcase for the manifold skills of the people of Ireland, of every age and social background.

As the one national holiday that is celebrated in more countries around the world than any other, St. Patrick's Day is the day when everyone wants to be Irish. However, it was a strange fact of life that the celebrations held in Ireland for St. Patrick's Day prior to 1996 paled in comparison to those held abroad, especially when one considers what an ideal opportunity the day represented to showcase Ireland and Dublin to the world.

We set out to seize that opportunity, and completely transform the national and international perception of St. Patrick's Day in Dublin. This country is bursting with the kind of creative energy, ideas and enthusiasm required to do the job. Our job has been to harness them, and make our national holiday an unforgettable experience for all.

Why was it started? St. Patrick's Festival was set up in November 1995 with the following brief from Government:

Offer a national festival that ranks amongst all of the greatest celebration in the world
Create energy and excitement throughout Ireland via innovation, creativity, grassroots involvement, and marketing activity
Provide the opportunity and motivation for people of Irish descent (and those who sometimes wish they were Irish) to attend and join in the imaginative and expressive celebrations
Project, internationally, an accurate image of Ireland as a creative, professional and sophisticated country with wide appeal, as we approach the new Millennium.
The first St Patrick's Festival was held over one day, and night, on March 17th 1996. With a little over four months in which to effect change, the main object was to demonstrate that changes were afoot and starting the process away from "just a parade". The live audience for the day was estimated to be 430,000.

In 1997, we dropped the word "Day" from our title and it became "St. Patrick's Festival", a three day event. The festival has since grown to become a four day festival and in 2001 is was enjoyed by 1.2million people.

Preparation for the first St Patrick's Festival used to take only 5 months, but with the growth of the Festival, it now takes 18 months to plan for Ireland's biggest annual celebration.