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Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland as he was the one who brought Christianity to the Irish.

Although he was born in Scotland in the 4th century, St. Patrick was kidnapped by pirates as a young boy and sold into slavery in Ireland. It was during his time as a slave that God came to him and gave him the drive to escape back to continental Europe to become a priest. As a great traveler with ties to the Ireland, he was soon ordained as archbishop of the island.

According to legend, Saint Patrick used a shamrock to explain about God. The shamrock, which looks like clover, has three leaves on each stem. Saint Patrick told the people that the shamrock was like the idea of the Trinity – that in the one God there are three divine beings: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The shamrock was sacred to the Druids, so Saint Patrick’s use of it in explaining the trinity was very wise.

Another tale about Patrick is that he drove the snakes from Ireland. Different versions of the story, tell of him standing upon a hill, using a wooden staff to drive the serpents into the sea, banishing them forever from Ireland.

Although it’s true that Ireland has no snakes, this likely had more to do with the fact that Ireland is an island and being separated from the rest of the continent the snakes couldn’t get there. The stories of Saint Patrick and the snakes are likely a metaphor for his bringing Christianity to Ireland and driving out the pagan religions (serpents were a common symbol in many of these religions).