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(Song opens in new window)Let Erin remember the days of old, Ere her faithless sons betrayed her. When Malachi wore the collar of gold, Which he won from her proud invader, When her kings with standards of green unfurled Led the Red-Branch Knights to danger, Ere the emerald gem of the western world, was set in the crown of a stranger. On Lough Neagh's bank as the fisherman strays When the clear cold eve's declining, He sees the round towers of other days, In the wave beneath him shining. Thus shall memory often in dreams sublime, Catch a glimpse of...

On March 17, people throughout the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as a festive occasion. There are parades, singing, dancing, and toasting, yet how many of the celebrants know why we pay tribute to the man behind the big event?Each month we receive a publication from The Voice of the Martyrs ministry that educates people on persecuted Christians. Why do they feature someone like the legendary Irishman? Why do they mention uncomfortable words like “slavery, suffering and smuggling of children” in connection with this famous figure?In these exciting days of history when reports of revival are surfacing as we repent...

In 220 AD, the Later Eastern Han Dynasty extended sections of the Great Wall of China along the Mongolian border. This made it harder for the Huns to attack into China, so they turned westward, attacking and displacing tribes throughout These tribes migrated further west, overrunning the western borders of the Roman Empire: Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Franks, Anglos, Saxons, Alemanni, Thuringians, Rugians, Jutes, Picts, Burgundians, Lombards, Alans, and Vandals. Rome had to withdraw its Legions from other areas of the Empire, such as Britain, in order to place them along the Roman border. This left Britain, which had been a...

Maewyn Succat did not have an easy time embracing the Faith. Although his father Calpurnius was a deacon, Maewyn indulged a spirited youthful rebellion against what he had been taught, and it was only after being kidnapped by superstitious people called Druids that he realized the difference that Christianity makes in the souls of men and the character of cultures. This was in the fifth century, and Maewyn, probably born in the Cumbria part of England near the Scottish lands, was roughly contemporary with the bishop Augustine in North Africa who watched the decay of the Roman Empire. Maewyn eventually...

Patricius: The True Story of St. Patrick Before all the festivities focused on shamrocks and leprechauns and good luck wishes, there was truly something to celebrate: a man willing to stand in the gap for Jesus Christ. It was an act of defiance that changed the course of a nation. Patrick lit a fire in pagan 5th century Ireland, ushering Christianity into the country. Who was this man who became the patron saint of Ireland? Ireland was a beautiful island shrouded in terrible darkness. Warlords and druids ruled the land. But across the sea in Britain, a teen-ager was poised...

. In honor of St. Patrick's Day, lets remember captives and slaves whose sacrifice made ours lives so much better. Many don't know that Patrick was NOT Irish. He was born in Scotland and captured by the Irish when he was a teenager. Then he spread Christianity to the Irish. In the Bible, Joseph's brother's sold him into slavery. When he was later able to save his family, he told them, "What you meant for evil, God meant for Good." Thousands of years later, Squanto was captived by Europeans and taken away. Years later, after learning English, he made his...

Who was Saint Patrick? Well, for starters, he wasn't Irish. He was born a Roman (Patricius) during the days when Britain was cut off from the empire immediately before the final collapse of Roman power in the west. Though not born an Irishman himself, Patrick had a deep and abiding love for the Irish and dedicated his life to bringing them to Christianity. Amazingly, two works written by Patrick have come down to us from antiquity. The first is his Confessio, which was written about AD 450 under obscure circumstances. Following is an excerpt from this document, where Patrick tells...

I arise today Through the strength of heaven; Light of the sun, Splendor of fire, Speed of lightning, Swiftness of the wind, Depth of the sea, Stability of the earth, Firmness of the rock. I arise today Through God's strength to pilot me; God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's hosts to save me Afar and anear, Alone or in a mulitude. Christ...

The heroics of St. Patrick are not appreciated as much as they should be. He is the first person in history to publicly condemn slavery, and one of the first leaders to champion the cause of equal rights. There is much to celebrate on March 17. Fortunately, his writings, though slim, are eye-opening accounts of his life: Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus and Confession reveal much about the man. Along with other sources, they paint a picture of his saintliness. Patrick was born in Britain in the 4th century to wealthy parents. It is likely that he was baptized,...

St. Patrick, as seen in C.E. Kempe's stained glass in St. John the Baptist parish, Burford, UK. Credit: Lawrence OP via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). Washington D.C., Mar 17, 2015 / 04:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Many know that Saint Patrick, bishop and missionary to Ireland, was once a slave – but few know of his heartfelt plea on behalf of girls and boys abducted into slavery. “The pathos of St. Patrick’s description of the fate of his victims is something I think we can identify with now,” said Jennifer Paxton, a history professor who teaches at Catholic University of America’s...

LONDON -- St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, may well have been a tax collector for the Romans who fled to Ireland where he could have traded slaves to pay his way, according to new research by a University of Cambridge academic published on Saturday. The generally accepted account of the saint's life, albeit based on scant evidence, says Patrick was abducted from western Britain as a teenager and forced into slavery in Ireland for six years during which time he developed a strong Christian faith. Afterwards, the account continues, he escaped his captors and went back to Britain before...

Request by First Lady for shamrock seeds for her garden Michelle Obama, has requested shamrock seeds to begin growing Ireland’s national plant in the White House garden. Living Shamrock, the company that grows the shamrock that the Irish Prime Minster gives to the US president every year on St.Patrick’s Day has received a request from the First Lady to grow her own for next year. The shamrock presented to the president is always destroyed afterwards because of security protocol. The shamrock for the White House is grown in County Kerry in a unique, soil-free environment. "Our shamrock is grown in...

Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 493. [Some sources say 460 or 461. --Ed.] He had for his parents Calphurnius and Conchessa. The former belonged to a Roman family of high rank and held the office of decurio in Gaul or Britain. Conchessa was a near relative of the great patron of Gaul, St. Martin of Tours. Kilpatrick still retains many memorials of Saint Patrick, and frequent pilgrimages continued far into the Middle Ages to perpetuate there the fame of his sanctity and miracles.

When is St. Patrick's day this year? I've heard both the 15th and the 17th of March. Which one is correct?

Stout call for St Pat's holiday in US   By Johnny Caldwell BBC News   Guinness is very popular on St Patrick's Day Guinness has launched a campaign to have St Patrick's Day officially recognised as a holiday in the US.The campaign is centred around a petition, which it hopes one million people will sign or endorse by midnight on Sunday 16 March. It will then be presented to Congress the following day, which of course any Irish man, woman, child or indeed self-respecting plastic paddy will of course know is St Patrick's Day. The petition can be signed...

If you ask people who Saint Patrick was, you’re likely to hear that he was an Irishman who chased the snakes out of Ireland. It may surprise you to learn that the real Saint Patrick was not actually Irish—yet his robust faith changed the Emerald Isle forever. Patrick was born in Roman Britain to a middle-class family in about A.D. 390. When Patrick was a teenager, marauding Irish raiders attacked his home. Patrick was captured, taken to Ireland, and sold to an Irish king, who put him to work as a shepherd. In his excellent book, How the Irish Saved...

On this St. Patrick’s Day I have decided to spotlight the Saint who inspires celebrations around the world on March 17th of each year. I have researched St. Patrick from various sources in order to bring you a comprehensive look at this beloved figure. Saint Patrick is a beloved figure in Ireland. Legend has it that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland. This could well be symbolism that refers to his conversion of the people of Ireland to Christianity. Across the world Irish people and those of Irish descent along with Catholics and those of many other faiths...

It is called the “Lorica” and also “The Deer's Cry.” According to tradition, St. Patrick uttered it while on his way to Tara, where he was for the first time to confront the power of the Pagan High-King of Ireland. Assassins were in wait for him and his companions, but as he chanted the hymn it seemed to the hidden band that a herd of deer went by. Even though Saint Patrick was a very great Saint, he must have been scared out of his wits when he was praying this prayer.