10 Surprising Facts About St. Patrick

On March 17, people worldwide celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by donning green hats, flaunting shamrocks, and tacking images of cheery, tiny leprechauns on their collars. Greeting cards will display depictions of Patrick: an elderly, bearded bishop in luxurious robes, wielding a staff and scowling at a snake coil. This imagery recalls one of Patrick’s legendary miracles where he supposedly drove all snakes out of Ireland. However, as an expert in medieval Irish history, I can assure you that the real St. Patrick, who lived in the fifth century, never encountered a snake or wore a shamrock. His own writings and early accounts about him provide fascinating insights into the life of Ireland’s patron saint. Here are 10 things you might not know about St. Patrick.

1. Patrick Wasn’t Irish Patrick was born around 450 A.D., shortly after Roman forces left Britain. His father, a Christian deacon, was a landowner of a modest estate in Bannavem Taburniae. Scholars are uncertain of its exact location—likely near Britain’s west coast around Bristol, bordering modern Wales and England.

2. Patrick Was Enslaved Irish slave traders sailed from this coast, eventually abducting the teenaged Patrick and his neighbors to sell in Ireland. Patrick endured six years herding sheep in Ireland’s west.

3. Patrick Heard Voices While shepherding, Patrick prayed fervently, up to a hundred times daily in any weather. His piety was rewarded one night when a mysterious voice instructed him, “Look, your ship is ready!” Patrick knew it was not the bleating of sheep, and he seized the chance to escape.

4. Patrick Refused a Ritual Submission Upon reaching Ireland’s east coast, Patrick sought passage to Britain on a ship. The pagan captain didn’t take to him and demanded Patrick “suck his breasts,” a sign of submission. Patrick refused and attempted to convert the crew instead. Oddly, the captain still let him aboard.

5. Patrick Experienced Visions One night, Patrick dreamed Satan tested his faith under a massive rock’s weight. Liberated by chanting “Helias! Helias!”—the Greek sun god’s name—the rock vanished. Patrick interpreted this as divine intervention, claiming, “I believe that I was helped by Christ the Lord.” He had other visions as well. An angel visited him in Bannavem Taburniae with a message from the Irish: “We beg you, Holy Boy, to come and walk again among us.” Patrick trained as a bishop and returned to Ireland.

6. Patrick’s Unspoken Secret Years into his mission, a scandal from Patrick’s past surfaced among fellow bishops. Patrick cryptically admitted, “They brought up against me something I had already confessed,” an act from his youthful years. While the specifics—idol worship, illicit practices, or accepting gifts—remain unknown, Patrick viewed his fervent mission in Ireland as penance for past sins. Throughout his quest to convert Ireland, he faced beatings, imprisonment, and extortion, lamenting, “Every day I face the threat of death, captivity, or slavery.”

7. Patrick Battled Druids Two centuries posthumously, Irish Christian narratives enhanced Patrick’s life stories beyond his own words. A legend circa 700 A.D. describes Patrick’s duel with druids, native religious figures. Druids cursed Patrick, attempted to poison him, and engaged in magical contests akin to Harry Potter’s Hogwarts: controlling weather, turning books into ash, and surviving flames. Patrick hurled one blasphemous druid skyward, causing his deadly fall.

8. Patrick’s Divine Demands Another tale from that era recounts Patrick’s 40-day fast atop a mountain, refusing to come down until God sent an angel to meet his audacious demands: redeeming more souls than any other saint, having the privilege to judge Irish sinners, and the impossible promise that Ireland would never be ruled by the English. History tells us how that last demand turned out. Perhaps the other requests are still pending.

9. Patrick and the Shamrock Legend Early writings about Patrick don’t mention shamrocks, or seamróg—common clovers with three leaves. Yet, Catholic schoolchildren are taught Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Christian Trinity to pagans. The link first appeared in print by an English visitor in 1684, noting that on St. Patrick’s Day, “people superstitiously wear shamrogues, 3-leaved grass,” claiming its consumption promotes sweet breath. The same Englishman observed, “few of the zealous are sober by night’s end.”

10. Patrick Didn’t Expel Ireland’s Snakes Despite tales to the contrary, no snakes were extant in ancient Ireland to be banished. This famous miracle, most likely, was borrowed from other hagiographies. However, revellers on March 17 aren’t preoccupied with historical certainty. Regardless of his true deeds, Patrick became one of Ireland’s patron saints alongside Sts. Brigit and Columba—both native-born. Wishing you “Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhaiobh” – a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.