Editing Saint Patrick's Day (section)

==Saint Patrick==
{{Main|Saint Patrick}}

Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Much of what is known about Saint Patrick comes from the ''Declaration'', which was allegedly written by Patrick himself. It is believed that he was born in [[Roman Britain]] in the fourth century, into a wealthy [[Romano-British culture|Romano-British]] family. His father was a Christian [[deacon]] and his grandfather a [[priest]]. According to the ''Declaration'', at the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to [[Gaelic Ireland]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/patrick/confession.ii.html |title=Confession of St. Patrick |publisher=Christian Classics Ethereal Library at Calvin College |access-date=10 March 2010 |archive-date=16 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091216091245/http://www.ccel.org/ccel/patrick/confession.ii.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It says that he spent six years there working as a shepherd and that during this time he [[religious conversion|found God]]. The ''Declaration'' says that God told Patrick to flee to the coast, where a ship would be waiting to take him home. After making his way home, Patrick went on to become a priest.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Bridgwater |editor1-first=William |editor2-last=Kurtz |editor2-first=Seymour |year=1963 |chapter=Saint Patrick |title=The Columbia Encyclopedia |edition=3rd |location=New York |publisher=Columbia University Press |pages=1611–12}}</ref>

According to tradition, Patrick returned to Ireland to convert the [[Celtic polytheism|pagan]] Irish to Christianity. The ''Declaration'' says that he spent many years evangelising in the northern half of Ireland and converted thousands.

Tradition holds that he died on 17 March and was buried at [[Downpatrick]]. Over the following centuries, many legends grew up around Patrick and he became Ireland's foremost saint.