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Furness Dig May Have Found St Patrick's Birthplace
NW Evening Mail ^ | 7-12-2005

Posted on 07/13/2005 4:00:07 PM PDT by blam

FURNESS DIG MAY HAVE FOUND ST PATRICK'S BIRTHPLACE

Published on 12/07/2005

ARCHAEOLOGISTS believe they have found the birthplace of St Patrick.

A dig in Urswick has uncovered a Roman fort which may be the Banna Vernta Berniae, thought by scholars to be where Ireland’s patron saint was born.

Excavations are being led by Steve Dickinson, from Ulverston, who tutors archaeology at Lancaster University.

Evidence of the Romans in Furness is rare. But Mr Dickinson is convinced the finds at Urswick are Roman with their typical layout of foundations and ditches.

Mr Dickinson said: “I can’t tell you how important it is for Furness and for the local community that helped us get to the point where we’ve reached and we’ve actually found something of national significance.

“The village could be the missing Roman fort of Banna Venta Berniae which is the alleged birthplace of St Patrick who actually recorded it in his own writings. So potentially this is hot property.

Next Saturday Mr Dickinson and members of the Urswick First Light heritage group will have a stall at Urswick’s Grand Day Out gala day in Urswick and public tours of the site take place on Sunday.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: ancientnavigation; archaeology; barrycunliffe; birthplace; catholic; dig; fartyshadesofgreen; found; furness; ggg; godsgravesglyphs; history; ireland; irishlist; may; midnightsun; navigation; orthodox; patricks; pytheas; st; stpatrick
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Sounds suspicious.

Is someone looking for tourist income?

1 posted on 07/13/2005 4:00:10 PM PDT by blam
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To: SunkenCiv
GGG Ping.
2 posted on 07/13/2005 4:00:52 PM PDT by blam
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To: blam; Irish_Thatcherite; Happygal; aculeus

I thought St. Pat was born in Italy.


3 posted on 07/13/2005 4:15:36 PM PDT by Incorrigible (If I lead, follow me; If I pause, push me; If I retreat, kill me.)
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To: american colleen; Lady In Blue; Salvation; narses; SMEDLEYBUTLER; redhead; Notwithstanding; ...

Saint Patrick

Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list


4 posted on 07/13/2005 4:15:54 PM PDT by NYer ("Each person is meant to exist. Each person is God's own idea." - Pope Benedict XVI)
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To: american colleen; Lady In Blue; Salvation; narses; SMEDLEYBUTLER; redhead; Notwithstanding; ...

Saint Patrick

Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list


5 posted on 07/13/2005 4:17:27 PM PDT by NYer ("Each person is meant to exist. Each person is God's own idea." - Pope Benedict XVI)
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To: Incorrigible; Happygal; Colosis; Black Line; Cucullain; SomeguyfromIreland; Youngblood; Fergal; ...
I thought St. Pat was born in Italy.

I had always assumed he was English.

6 posted on 07/13/2005 4:41:55 PM PDT by Irish_Thatcherite (Terrorism is the modern name we give barbarism.)
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To: Irish_Thatcherite
From ten years ago:
St. Patrick’s Day
Mom used to say there were only two kinds of people in this world: Those who are Irish and those who wish they were. Of course, she was slightly prejudiced on such matters.

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day. A day for everyone to be Irish - at least for a few hours. Now for some, the occasion serves as a convenient reason for getting drunk and acting dumber than usual. We don’t know a lot about Patrick of Ireland, but it’s doubtful he’d approve of “his” day being celebrated that way.

It’s believed he was born about 389 in southwest Britain and his British name was Succat. Kidnapped as a teenager by Irish bandits, he spent six years in captivity. Much of that time he was a pig herdsman. During this period Patrick went from a religious indifference to fierce piety. Every morning, regardless of weather, he’d rise before dawn and go outside to pray. He began having visions, visions urging him to escape.

He ultimately did and made it to what is now France. He was reunited with his parents and lived with them for several years. After ordination as a priest, he returned to the land of his captivity - this time as the second bishop of Ireland.

We all know Ireland is an ancient land. A Phoenician explorer who landed there about 510 B.C. described it as “populous and fertile.” It was also a violent land, where clan fought clan for hundreds of years. Irish warriors were buried upright, armed for battle and facing their enemies. Can’t be too careful, you know.

The Irish at the time worshipped the stars and the moon, the wind, water and about everything else. They believed in fairies and demons and elves. All in all, it was going to be a tough crowd to win over to Christianity.

Patrick concentrated on the north and the west of Ireland. He challenged the Druids directly by bring his own exorcists with him. Nothing like being prepared. Many miracles are attributed to Patrick. Nennius wrote, “he gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, cleansed the lepers, cast out devils, redeemed captives, raised nine persons from the dead, and wrote 365 books.”

That’s tough to believe, especially the part about 365 books. The shamrock, now widely considered the national symbol of Ireland, was used by Patrick to illustrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity. The device may not seem like much, but multimedia presentations weren’t to come until centuries later.

7 posted on 07/13/2005 4:49:20 PM PDT by Mike Bates (Irish Alzheimer's victim: I only remember the grudges.)
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To: Incorrigible

Patricius was a Roman born in Britain. I think he was kidnapped as a child and taken overseas.


8 posted on 07/13/2005 4:52:06 PM PDT by Neanderthal
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To: Neanderthal
I think he was kidnapped as a child and taken overseas.

Kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave. Later escaped to England became a bishop and went back to convert the Irish.

9 posted on 07/13/2005 4:58:18 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (Mesocons for Rice '08)
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To: Irish_Thatcherite

I thought he was Welsh!


10 posted on 07/13/2005 5:49:15 PM PDT by Youngblood
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To: Incorrigible; blam; Irish_Thatcherite; Happygal
I thought St. Pat was born in Italy.

He was left as a foundling at the side door of a Manhattan church which is now called "Saint Patrick's Cathedral".

(Sheesh! Do I have to explain everything?)

11 posted on 07/13/2005 5:54:36 PM PDT by aculeus (Ceci n'est pas une tag line.)
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To: Mike Bates
Good summary.



12 posted on 07/13/2005 8:08:34 PM PDT by Barnacle (Freeping Large - Steroid Free.)
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To: Barnacle

Thanks. Wish I had saved the end of that column. Sure it had a boffo ending.


13 posted on 07/13/2005 8:17:04 PM PDT by Mike Bates (Irish Alzheimer's victim: I only remember the grudges.)
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To: Mike Bates
Oh, I thought you wrote that. Well, thanks for posting it.

What's a "boffo ending"?
14 posted on 07/13/2005 8:25:16 PM PDT by Barnacle (Freeping Large - Steroid Free.)
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To: Barnacle

I did write it. Boffo as in great. We hep cats talk like that sometimes.


15 posted on 07/13/2005 8:27:58 PM PDT by Mike Bates (Irish Alzheimer's victim: I only remember the grudges.)
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To: blam; FairOpinion; Ernest_at_the_Beach; StayAt HomeMother; 24Karet; 3AngelaD; asp1; ...
Thanks Blam. I've heard that the term "Padraig" was Latin for "tourist trap". ;') ;') ;') ;')

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest
-- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

16 posted on 07/13/2005 9:36:19 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (last updated by FR profile on Tuesday, May 10, 2005.)
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To: blam
Sounds suspicious. Is someone looking for tourist income?

Well, you have to say, they wasted not a bit of time starting up with a stall and public tours, now did they ...

17 posted on 07/13/2005 9:42:09 PM PDT by Babu
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The Extraordinary Voyage of Pytheas the Greek Facing the Ocean
The Extraordinary Voyage of Pytheas the Greek
by Barry Cunliffe
Facing the Ocean:
The Atlantic and Its Peoples
8000 BC-AD 1500

by Barry Cunliffe
Pytheas of Massalia: On the Ocean: Text, Translation and Commentary North to Thule: An Imagined Narrative of the Famous Lost Sea Voyage of Pytheas of Massalia in the 4th Century B.C.
Pytheas of Massalia:
On the Ocean:
Text, Translation and Commentary

by Christina Horst Roseman
North to Thule:
An Imagined Narrative
of the Famous Lost Sea Voyage
of Pytheas of Massalia
in the 4th Century B.C.

by John Frye
and Harriet Frye

18 posted on 07/13/2005 9:47:58 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (last updated by FR profile on Tuesday, May 10, 2005.)
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To: blam

I didn't even know he was born in a furnace. I thought that had something to do with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Speaking of Irish tourism...

The Blarney Stone
http://www.blarneycastle.ie/stone.asp?lang=en


19 posted on 07/13/2005 10:29:45 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (last updated by FR profile on Tuesday, May 10, 2005.)
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To: Mike Bates
"We hep cats talk like that sometimes."

LOL. I wondered where all the hep cats went. Am I showing my age?

20 posted on 07/13/2005 10:30:18 PM PDT by blam
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