Songs For All Seasons

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!! Although I am not Irish by birth, my great-grandparents on my dad's side did come across from Ireland around the turn of the 19th/20th century. And I have the hair! I think Saint Patrick is one of the most widely celebrated saints , certainly in the English-speaking world so the day itself needs little introduction.  However, I have found a few facts about Saint Patrick that you may not know. Saint Patrick wasn't actually Irish. Despite being the patron saint of Ireland, he was born in Britain in either Scotland or Wales (accounts tend to vary on that point). His parents, Calpurnius and Conchessa, were both Roman citizens and his mother gave birth to him in 385AD. As a teenager, St. Patrick was kidnapped by a pirate raiding party and sold into slavery in Ireland. As a slave, he looked after and herded sheep for many years before fleeing to a monastery in England. While there, he became a devout follower of Christianity and was ordained a bishop, ...