Happy St. Patrick’s Day. I asked ChatGPT to give me a short history of it and here was the response.
5th century: Patrick, originally from Roman Britain, was brought to Ireland as a slave, escaped, then returned as a Christian missionary. He helped spread Christianity across Ireland.
March 17 (c. 461 AD): Traditionally believed to be the date of his death.
Early celebrations: Began as a religious feast day observed by the Catholic Church.
1700s–1800s: Irish immigrants, especially in the United States, expanded it into public parades and celebrations.
Today: A global celebration of Irish culture—parades, wearing green, and symbols like the shamrock (which Patrick reportedly used to explain the Trinity).
A couple fun facts;
First recorded parade was in St. Augustine (Florida) in 1601 when it was still a Spanish colony.
Oldest continuous parade is in New York City started back in 1762.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade just went past my window at work. I was in a meeting and turned my webcam on the parade and we all watched. It was a team ‘water cooler’ meeting to just BS.
That was yesterday here. Australians dont seem to like parades, we celebrate with BBQ’s.
St Patrick left very little written material. He left Ireland with a culture of almost child-like appreciation of man and his delicately balance relation to nature and to God. We see it in his blessings… here is an example
“May the road rise to meet you; may the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.”
My younger sister had her severely disabled son on St Paddy’s day in 2004 - so he’s now 22… He’s non-verbal (he’s missing part of a chromosome)… Liam (she chose an Irish name for him - even though Liam is just a diminutive of the Germanic name William / Willhelm)… She lives in the UK… I love that kid… But I haven’t seen him for 9 years… Just photo updates via email and social media…
On St Paddy’s Day 1967, I broke my thigh bone and spent the next 2 months in hospital - I spent most of that time in traction and had my 5th birthday, there, in hospital… Because I went to a Catholic School for “kindy” we got all the saints days off as a holiday, and me and my younger brother Ben, were playing out the front of our friends’ place a few doors down, waiting for them to come home from state school… Ironically - those friends actually had an Irish surname: “Rooney”…
I HATED that time - I was nearly always terrified (there were deranged patients there who’d roam freely) - and the nurses were often slack - being in traction, we had to call for the piss bottle or the bedpan… And sometimes the nurses were so slack we’d have wet the bed waiting, and then they’d get stroppy 'cause they had to change our bedsheets and underwear…
But I do have some fond memories, like first seeing Lego (my mum got me a small box, then a family friend gave me a huge box) and a copy of Maurice Sendak’s “Where The Wild Things Are”…
I’ve also seen some interesting speculation that St. Patrick may very well have been a eunuch, castrated during the time he was a slave… There is definitely no solid evidence either way, and there is no way to tell if ‘saintly behavior’ is because of choice or the lack of ability to misbehave…
One of the few documents about St. Pat is an alleged ‘autobiography’ The Confession of Saint Patrick or Confession | St. Patrick’s Confessio (possibly the most reputable online English translation) supposedly written by him, but the oldest source we have is circa 807 A.D., so it’s at best a multi-generation hand copy of the original, which could easily have had parts taken out…
However from that, we know that he was the eldest son of a local lord, who was captured and sold into slavery by the Vikings, then escaped and returned to his home. A short while after returning, he left home to enter religious orders a short time later, eventually becoming the Saint we know…
We also know (though it isn’t widely taught) that the Vikings frequently castrated captured slaves, and so did their owners. So it is not inconsistent…
As an eldest son, Patrick would normally have been expected to inherit his fathers title / estate, and not been able to leave for religious orders (something often done with subsequent sons to get them out of the line of succession) However he would have also been expected to carry on the family line, which would not be possible if he was a eunuch… In that case it would have been very convenient to have him to have a ‘calling’ and leave to join the Church as a graceful way out for all…
I have not seen that suggestion, thanks Arthur.
If that were true, it would indeed have been appropriate for him to join a religious order.
The Irish kept very few written records so we shall probably never know with certainty.
What we do know is that the world in the 5th Century was a very rugged place so your story fits with the times.
Being a transplanted Yank from the Cajun prairie of south Louisiana to the Adelaide area of south Australia, I can attest to your statement about how Aussies LOVE BBQs. It seems like every time one turns around twice, there’s a sausage sizzle happening at the local Bunnings. LOL
The significance is in HOW it’s cooked. I lived in Texas for many years, and native Texans ALSO love BBQ. There’s something about that smoky flavour that simply appeals to Texans (and Cajuns), and I’m sure to Aussies also. The type of wood used also enhances the flavour. Texans love Mesquite or Oak BBQ, while Hickory or Pecan BBQ is a favourite of Cajuns.
