makes this a good time to look at the legends surrounding the man
himself. Most everyone knows some part of St. Patrick’s story, from his
expulsion of Ireland’s snakes to his favorite color. However, on closer
inspection, some of the commonly held beliefs about St. Patrick
don’t stand up to scrutiny. It is doubtful whether young Maewyn Succat
from Bannavem of Taburnia ever dreamed that he would one day be toasted
the world over on his own special day, or that such stories would be
told about his life.

1. He was Irish: It is not known exactly where St.
   Patrick was born; his own writings note his birthplace as “Bannavem of
   Taburnia,” but this village could be in Scotland, Wales, England, or
   even the north coast of France.
2. His name was Patrick: Patrick was the name he took on when he began his work for the church; some sources claim his birth name was Maewyn Succat.
3. He was Catholic: There is some dispute about
   whether St. Patrick can be considered a Catholic; Protestant scholars
   note that Patrick wrote about his own beliefs and practices in a way
   not consistent with the Roman Catholic doctrine of his time. However,
   there is clear evidence that Patrick was ordained into the Roman church
   before he began his missionary work.
4. He was the first Christian missionary to Ireland: He was not the first, but perhaps the third missionary to Ireland.
5. He expelled all the snakes from Ireland: There is no evidence that this happened, and the Catholic church does not claim that it did.
6. He used the shamrock to teach people about the Trinity: Again, there is no evidence to support this story; it is most likely apocryphal.
7. He is associated with the color green: The
   original color associated with St. Patrick was blue, and furthermore,
   for many hundreds of years green was considered an unlucky color in
   Ireland.