The man who became St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd. Lonely and afraid, he turned to religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.)

Patrick finally escaped his captors and, according to his writing, a voice which he believed to be God's spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland. So Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from where he was held, to the Irish coast. He escaped to Britain, but soon after, Patrick chose to train as a priest. He returned to Ireland with a mission to convert locals to Christianity.

There are many legends associated with St Patrick. It is said that he used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the concept of the Trinity; which refers to the combination of Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Legend also has that he put the curse of God on venomous snakes in Ireland and drove all the snakes into the sea where they drowned. True, many of the stories about St. Patrick are just that, stories and legends...but where would we be without a wee touch of the blarney and aren't we all just a wee bit Irish, no matter where we hale from?