by Maria Boyle
St Patrick’s Day is on the 17th of March, the traditional date of his death.
Here are 5 common misconceptions about him that you probably believe… debunked!
His real name was St Patrick. MYTH!
He was originally called Maewyn Succat, a name chosen by his parents, but when converting the Irish pagans, he picked up the name ‘Patrick’ for unknown reasons.
He was Irish. MYTH!
St Patrick was either born in England or Wales, but as a Roman citizen, as the Romans had taken over Britain at that time. It was only when he was captured by slave traders at the age of 16 that he was brought to Ireland, to be sold to the chieftain Milue of Antrim.
His famous colour is green. MYTH! – It’s Blue.
The colour blue was and is still used by members of the ‘Order of St Patrick’, an order founded by the Saint himself. Artwork about St Patrick used to be in blue. Even the Irish Association Football team originally wore blue football shirts, and it was only in 1931 that they changed to green ones.
St Patrick is definitely a Saint. MYTH!
For a long time after his death, the canonisation process didn’t exist, so St Patrick, although traditionally a saint, was never officially recognised as a Saint by the Catholic Church.
He banished the snake from Ireland. MYTH!
There is a famous legend that St Patrick banished the snake from Ireland, however this has recently been proven to be a myth. It’s impossible for snakes to live in the wild in Ireland – the conditions and climate are too cold, wet and harsh. It’s now believed that the snake is a symbol of paganism, which he banished from Ireland, replacing it with Christianity.