The History of St. Patrick’s Day – “Hey Look at Us – We’re Irish!”

Ah, St. Patty’s day, you say. The luck of the Irish. The shamrock. The Fifth Avenue Day Parade. All things you think about every March 17th. But did you ever wonder how St. Patrick’s Day got started? There are a lot of inconsistencies surrounding the folklore of this happy Irish holiday, but the basic history of St. Patrick’s Day is definitely an interesting one.

Was St. Patrick really a Saint? And was his name really Patrick?

The marking of this occasion for merriment began way back in 493 AD in, of course, Ireland…or did it? Well according to most accounts, Patrick was born in Ireland…or was he? Questions continually arise about who Patrick really was, and where he was born.

What we do know is that he was born in the year 385 AD…or thereabouts. And we do know that his name was Patrick…or was it? Actually, we do know, for sure, that his name wasn’t Patrick – it was Maewyn…or Succat, or something like that. But now we come to the part of his history that’s a little more solid.

Patrick (we’ll call him Patrick, just for the sake of argument) was born, most likely in Wales, which was at that time part of the Roman Empire. He was a Roman-Briton by where he was born, Roman Catholic by how he was born and, later, by his own admission (when he was 16 years old), covetous, licentious, materialistic, and generally heathen. Quite a mixture!

Patrick becomes a victim of Roman Empire ways – but has time to think

So as Patrick was living his life as a raucous 16-year old, his village was raided by Irish marauders, taking him and hundreds of other young people to be sold into slavery. Until he was 22, he worked hard as a shepherd in Ireland. The task of a shepherd is one of solitude, so Patrick had a lot of time alone, to think. And what he was thinking was that he’d basically been a “bad boy”.

Patrick felt an increasing awareness of God as he watched his flocks. He saw the evil of his ways, and prayed for forgiveness: “I, Patrick, a sinner,” he wrote in Confessions, one of his two published works, “the most rustic and the least of all the faithful…” And so began his road to redemption.

God blessed Patrick

Patrick’s prayers were answered. He managed to escape the slavery and fled Ireland. He wound up in Gaul, and spent a dozen relaxing and peaceful years studying Christianity. Eventually, he became a priest, allowing him to fulfill his desire to help others out of the type of pagan life he had led himself.

Another great desire he had was to return to Ireland and become its first bishop. However, his superiors saw him as tactless and without sufficient education. Patrick had to sit back and watch a man named St Palladius take the position of bishop.

But, undaunted and determined, Patrick hung in there for 2 years. Then Palladius was transferred to Scotland. That was Patrick’s big chance. Although he didn’t get to fulfill his dream of being Ireland’s first bishop, at least he was the second one. (By that time, he’d already adopted the name Patrick.) Now he could begin his life’s work – winning converts. And win them he did!

Patrick becomes a highly influential missionary

People were attracted to Patrick’s kind manner and he easily influenced them. But the Celtic Druid priests saw him as a threat to their beliefs and arrested him a dozen times. But each time he escaped. He had to keep on the move to avoid the Druids, which worked out very well for him, because he was constantly finding new converts wherever he went. He was even able to open monasteries, schools and churches, all of which contributed to the eventual Christianization of Ireland. The Irish Christians were a proud and upstanding people, and this pride eventually led to their land becoming known as the “Isle of Saints”.

Meanwhile, Patrick continued his strong missionary work for another 30 years. Then, after retiring to the town of Saul in County Down (we think), on March 17th, in the year 461 AD (maybe), Patrick met his Maker.

Although the year of his death is uncertain, the day, March 17th, has always been commemorated as his “death day”. It’s also a bit uncertain where he was buried, but we think it was in Downpatrick. There’s an old tombstone there with a “P” carved in it. Many pilgrims visit that site to this day but, again, nobody really knows if that’s actually Patrick’s grave.

The Shamrock comes with St Patrick’s Day

We all know that the shamrock is associated with St Patrick’s Day, but why? This we actually do know.

Patrick strongly preached the Holy Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, all one entity, with 3 separate identities. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? That’s the problem Patrick had, too.

Then, one day, as he was preaching, he looked down and saw a 3-leafed shamrock. He picked it up and showed it to his audience. He asked them to picture each leaf as representing each of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, with the stem as the single God that they originated from.

After his death, St. Patrick’s converts wore a shamrock as a religious symbol on his feast day.

The Fifth Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Parade grew with New York City

The first public celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in America was in 1737, put on by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston. Ironically, this organization was actually made up of Protestants, not Irish Catholics. The Society was founded to assist homeless, ill or unemployed Irishmen.

The original organizers of the St Patrick’s Day parade were Irish veterans of the Revolutionary War, made up of Catholics and Presbyterians. It’s original intent was to create a defiant public display against what they described as: “nutty people who didn’t like the Irish very much”. The purpose of the parade was to “show how many there were of them.”

Ever since March 17, 1762, the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world travels up Fifth Avenue in New York City, wildly celebrating their Irish heritage. At first, with New York being much smaller than it is today, the parade wasn’t very long. However, as the city grew, and Fifth Avenue with it, the parade stretched father each year. Now over 200,000 people annually take part in this massive “showing of the Green”.

So you can see that the history of St. Patrick’s Day is somewhat fuzzy, and probably even fuzzier after a few green beers. But at least now we know the origin of this joyous holiday…or do we?

About The Author

Gareth Marples is a successful freelance writer providing valuable tips and advice for consumers purchasing medieval tapestries & tapestry care, log cabin building plans and wedding decorations, favors & accessories. His numerous articles offer moneysaving tips and valuable insight on typically confusing topics.

This article on "How St. Patrick's Day Works" reprinted with permission.

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