Did you know that Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, wasn't even Irish?

He was born in Scotland and didn't set foot on Irish soil until he was about 16 years old, when Irish raiders kidnapped the teenager and sold him as a slave to an Irish master. After six years in captivity, Patrick escaped and managed to get aboard a ship that took him home.

In either England or France, Patrick studied for the priesthood and was ordained. He felt a call to return to the land of his captivity to establish the Catholic Church. After he was ordained a bishop around 432 A.D., Patrick spent the rest of his life traveling through Ireland, converting the people and setting up churches, monasteries and schools.

The shamrock became St. Patrick's symbol when he used the three-leaf clover to illustrate the theology of the Trinity-one god as three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

The legend of St. Patrick chasing all the snakes out of Ireland probably refers to the good bishop replacing the natives' pagan gods with Christianity. Ireland may not have had any snakes in the first place.

-Sally Carpenter