Most people think that on March 17th we celebrate Saint Patrick’s birthday, but that’s not the case. In 461 A.D., Saint Patrick, the Christian missionary, bishop and apostle of Ireland, died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland (now Northern Ireland).

The History Channel tells us, (what better source is there?) Patrick was “born in Great Britain, probably in Scotland, to a well-to-do Christian family of Roman citizenship, Patrick was captured and enslaved at age 16 by Irish marauders. For the next six years, he worked as a herder in Ireland, turning to a deepening religious faith for comfort. Following the counsel of a voice he heard in a dream one night, he escaped and found passage on a ship to Britain, where he was eventually reunited with his family.

According to the Confessio, in Britain Patrick had another dream, in which an individual named Victoricus gave him a letter, entitled ‘The Voice of the Irish.’ As he read it, Patrick seemed to hear the voices of Irishmen pleading him to return to their country and walk among them once more. After studying for the priesthood, Patrick was ordained a bishop. He arrived in Ireland in 433 and began preaching the Gospel, converting many thousands of Irish and building churches around the country. After 40 years of living in poverty, teaching, traveling and working tirelessly, Patrick died on March 17, 461 in Saul, where he had built his first church.”

Typical, celebrating death seems to have always been a specialty of the Irish.

A Bit of Trivia

Whispered at many a gathering or even in a family parlor, ” Oh, geez, not another one named Patrick.” Well, in our Riley family tree and its branches, the name Patrick has been scribbled on birth and christening certificates many a time. My father, a Patrick himself, used to say the name was chosen because of the family’s lack of imagination. But, according to the Irish genealogical website I follow, A Letter From Ireland , that might not necessarily be the case.

A Letter From Ireland states, “It has been a tradition in Ireland for many centuries, that anyone born in the month of March has a good chance of being given the name Patrick or Patricia.

That was not always so. Right up until the early 1700s, Patrick was considered too saintly a name to be taken by the masses. That, of course, has changed. By the 1901 census there were almost 300,000 Patricks on the island but only 173 Patricias – the use of the female version is quite a recent development.

In Ireland today, there are almost “40 shades” of Patrick and Patricia:

For Patrick, you will find: Pádraig, Páraic, Paudie, Padge, Pauric, Podge, Pat, Paddy, Patsy and Pa (substitute an “aw” sound for the Irish “á” – that should sound about right).

For Patricia, you will find: Pat, Patsy, Tricia, Trish, Pádraigín and Patrice (for some reason, Patty never caught on here in Ireland).”

So You Say You’re Looking For An Irish Film…

Here’s a random list:

• The Guard
• The Quiet Man
• The Magdalene Sisters
• Good Vibrations
• Hunger
• My Left Foot
• Michael Collins
• The Wind that Shakes the Barley
• The Commitments
• Extra Ordinary
• Evelyn
• Once
• Ondine
• Sing Street
• In the Name of the Father
• Brooklyn
• Black ’47
• The Butcher Boy
• Intermission
• The Crying Game
• Philomena
• Into the West
• The Book of Kells
• P.S. I Love You
• The Snapper
• Circle of Friends
• Waking Ned Divine
• Calvary
• The Secret of Roan Inish

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig ort! (Ban-nock-tee na fayla pawd-rig urt).
Saint Patrick’s Day Blessings on you – and all of your family!