Saint Patrick Wasn't Irish

Saint Patrick's Day, the festival of green beer and shamrocks and the most well-known Irish holiday celebrates a saint who wasn't named Patrick and wasn't even Irish. In fact, he was held as a slave in Ireland before becoming a well-respected priest .

The patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick is actually said to have been born in either Scotland or Wales during 386 A.D. Historians believe that he was born to a wealthy family and originally named Maewyn Succat. At the age of 16, Saint Patrick was kidnapped by Irish raiders, sold into slavery and forced to work as a shepherd.

After six years of captivity, Saint Patrick escaped and returned home, but was drawn back to Ireland after he had a vision in which the Irish people said "We beg you, holy youth, that you shall come and shall walk again among us," according to one of Saint Patrick's letters.

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Once he was back in Ireland, Saint Patrick became a missionary and helped to teach the Christian religion to the Druids, or Celtic people who worshiped ancient Pagan gods . As a priest, he took on the name Patricius, which means "father of the citizens" in Latin, which later evolved into Patrick.

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