Not to get too detail oriented, but St. Patrick was actually Scottish and was kidnapped by Irish raiders and sold off as a slave back on the emerald ilse.
After delving a little deeper, it would seem that you are correct and my facts were a bit off. Here's an interesting piece written by a colleague of mine:
St. Patrick it appears was actually a Scot. (Aye, Laddie…)
According to the definitive Butler’s Lives of the Saints, Complete Edition: “St. Patrick was born in the decline of the fourth century; and as he informs us in his Confession, in a village called Bonaven Taberniæ, which seems to be the town of Killpatrick, on the mouth of the river Clyde, in Scotland, between Dunbaron and Glasgow. He calls himself both a Briton and a Roman, or of a mixed extraction, and says his father was of a good family named Calphurnius, and a denizen of a neighbouring city of the Romans, who not long after abandoned Britain, in 409. Some writers call his mother Conchessa, and say she was niece to St. Martin of Tours. At fifteen years of age he committed a fault, which appears not to have been a great crime, yet was to him a subject of tears during the remainder of his life. He says, that when he was sixteen, he lived still ignorant of God, meaning of the devout knowledge and fervent love of God, for he was always a Christian: he never ceased to bewail this neglect, and wept when he remembered that he had been one moment of his life insensible of the divine love. In his sixteenth year he was carried into captivity by certain barbarians, together with many of his father’s vassals and slaves, taken upon his estate. They took him into Ireland, where he was obliged to keep cattle on the mountains and in the forests, in hunger and nakedness, amidst snows, rain, and ice. Whilst he lived in this suffering condition, God had pity on his soul, and quickened him to a sense of his duty by the impulse of a strong interior grace. The young man had recourse to him with his whole heart in fervent prayer and fasting; and from that time faith and the love of God acquired continually new strength in his tender soul. He prayed often in the day, and also many times in the night, breaking off his sleep to return to the divine praises.”
While a slave in Ireland, he was converted to Christianity… on a hill in the North of Ireland, in County Antrim … (yes, that County Antrim, where they distill the famous whiskey…)
If you would like to actually visit the legendary first home of St. Patrick, you will find it near Ballymena, which is about 30 miles away from the Giants’ Causeway and the town of Bushmills. You will actually see the area where Patrick began his ministry, preached to his first converts – baptizing them in streams such as St Columb’s Rill and where he is said to have performed some of his first miracles. (It’s hardly a wonder that they should make such good whiskey there…) Patrick spent much of his time in the area and would have known it well. This is undisputed.
The British chronicler, Nennius (Nennius was a Welsh monk of the 9th century to whom one of the first histories of the Britons is attributed) speaking of Slemish mountain writes…. “it is from this hill that Patrick blessed the people of Ireland and his object in climbing to its summit was that he might pray for them and see the fruit of all his labours….”
Eventually, Patrick was ordained a bishop. He became Bishop of Armagh, again, in the North. This is the Episcopal Seat for all of Ireland for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland (Anglican.) The Archbishop of Armagh is the Primate of All Ireland and direct successor to St. Patrick.
Both Roman Catholic and Anglican (Church of Ireland) Bishops trace their apostolic descent back to St Patrick through the laying on of hands during their ordination. [An interesting footnote to this is that the Bishop who ordained me priest, traced his own Episcopal apostolic succession and Patrick was included in that line of succession, thus I can trace my own succession directly back to him as well.]
When Patrick died (c. 461 AD) he was first buried near Saul at Strangford Lough where he built his very first church, in County Down. The county gets its name from the town of “Downpatrick”. Most of his remaining relics remain in the area.
Northern Ireland has always been considered to be the ‘land of St. Patrick’…
Like many of the common people and religious of his day, Patrick travelled mostly on foot and stayed pretty close to home. Although he converted many of the Irish, including tribal kings and princes, his ecclesiastical duties from about 428 AD onward were centered in the North. While legend has it that he spent some time in County Mayo (180 miles to the West) it is very unlikely that he ever made it very far South to Dublin and entirely doubtful that he ever visited Cork (some 260 miles South.)
St Patrick is the Patron Saint for “all of Ireland” as he is referred to by the Roman and Anglican Churches as “Archbishop of Armagh and Apostle of Ireland.”
