THE APOSTLE OF IRELAND.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20498, 17 March 1932, Page 4

THE APOSTLE OF IRELAND.

/")NE of the most familiar namt-» and best loved personalities in Christian history is St. Patrick, the Apostle, of Ireland. Wherever the Irish have (arid where have they not?) his baine has gone and his memory is treasured. Yet to many ho remains little more than a name; of his life and work there :i a great ignorance. This year marks Ihe 1300 th anniversary of his landing in Ireland as her apostle, and it is hoped that one result of the special celebrations being held to commemorate the event will be to make better known ihe remarkable career of the slave boj who converted a nation. Most of the early Saints have suffered in these modern, hyper-critical <lavs when the searchlight of historical triticism has been turned on the bio-. graphics left by their too-admrnng disciples. The legends which havo grown around their personalities have been subjected to such a winnowing that often they have no characters left! Kt. Patrick has been subjected to such criticism, and one critic went so far as to contend that he never existed! But he comes better out of the test than most. Wo have contemporary writ-

(gpKciALt-r Written roa the press.) 11}y Jhe R«v. A. H. MeC. Acheson.]

ings, including his own. St. Sechnal wrote ft "Hymn in Patrick's Praise," which is dated probably within 15 years after his coming to Ireland. It tells little of historical value, but bears witness to the esteem in which he was held and the reputation he enjoyed at that early date. St. Patrick wrote his "Confession." which intimately tells us of his thoughts and gives a few facts of his life. Wo also have an open "Letter to Coroticus" (Ceretic, King of Ailclyde), protesting - against his unchristian conduct in committing outrages on his raids and putting Christian converts to death. There is also his famous hymn, the "Lorica," or "Breastplate.' ' 4 Four "Lives" , of the Saint are preserved in the Book of Armagh which, ti'iough not contemporary, are of historical value. There are also numerous other lines,, stories, and legends which iiave come down to us all testifying to the honour in which Patrick was held in his own day, and to the increasing veneration of after ages. Early Life. In his "Confession, 5 ' St. Patrick states lie was born at Bayentium Tabconia. The identity of this place has not heen established. That it is on the West Coast of Britain is ccr-

( tain, and either the mouth of the Severn or the Clyde seems most likely. The late Bishop Lanigan advanced the claims of Brittany but without col1 * vincing later scholars. The date of his birth cannot be fixed to a year, but round about 390 is as near as can be estimated. He came of an old Roman family, who held-office in Church ana •State. This is tha real origin of hio name—Patricius, the patrician or nobleman. It is quito historical that "St. Patrick was a_ gintleuian !" His father was Colpurnicus, a deacon or the church, and a magistrate; hi£j grandfather was Pctit.us, a priest, and his great-grandfather was also a deacon. His mother was Conchersa, who was probably a near relative of ot. Martin of Tour'?. Enslaved. Upon this outpost of the Roman Empire fell, oue day in the eai iy yeaii of the sth Century, a -"hosting or foray of bush clansmen lod »y ti«e famous Niall of the Niui Hostages. A number cit' captives were seized, among them a Hoy called Succat. He was sola as a slave to Milchu. From the plane of the present Co. Antrim, rises a conical iiiil, witn a cubical top. It is Slemish. and on Its slopes the slave boy was sent to, tend his master's herds. It was a very lonely life, and r.be bov turned Ins thought's to the Christian teaching of his childhood. "I was not." lie says, "from my childhood a believer in Cod, but continued m death and unbelief till I . w as severely, chastened." With Iris spiritual awukrjiino- camo fi new jov ami purpose into his life. Ho tells how the love of God grew stronger and how lie broke the loneliness of Slemish by giving utterance to "as many as a hundred prayvrs

in tlio <lay and in the night almost as many." It is a touching picture—the little slave boy's faith in God, the only Christian in a pagan land. After six years' captivity he made his escape. Finding a boat going to Gaul with a member of the famous Irisli : woU'-lioiuid«, lie was given a passage ]to louk after the hounds. Landing in Gaul they found the district devastated and the party nearly died of starvation. An invasion of the Huns had liijtl the district waste. Eventually Patrick made his way to the monastery of his relative, St. Martin of Tours. The next years he spent at Tours and with St. Germanus of Auxerre, and paid a visit to his old home. One day he liad a dream in which lie heard the voice of the people of Ireland spying, "We entreat thee, holy youth, to come and walk still amongst, us."

Sent as Missionary. It so happened that at this time ; someone wos needed to lead a mission fto Ireland. There were a few scattered Christian."! there, probably those who lwd learnt Christianity from inor- : chants, or possibly . Christian slaves. There art three churches in Ireland :which claim a pre-Patrician foundation. ' There is a reference , j.n the writings' of Prosper of Acquitaine, and others , to a mission led by a Bishop Palladius, 'but it was so short-lived and such a failure that some historians have doubted the authenticity of the story. Be that as it nniy, Patrick had no difficulty in getting official sanction for his- mission. Consecrated bishop, probable at Auxerre, he received a commission from Pope Celestine "to the Scot*, believing in Christ." (it must be remembered th£s until after the Irish eonguest of Scotland, at the end of the nth century, Ireland was Scotia. Then Ireland became Scotia major, and Northern Britain, Scotia Minor). Setting sail with his companions in 432, Patrick landed in Wicklow, but was not verv hospitably received. He' sailed nort.li and spent a night at Kirkpatrick, an island off the coast of Dublin. Again sailing north he entered Strangford Lough and landed at the mouth of the little river Slan. Moving inland over the hills, he encountered a chief named Dictu, who became his first convert and gave him a barn as his headquarters. This has given the name to the parish of Saul (Sabhal, a barn). Patrick was anxious to visit his former master, Milchu, and convert him to Christianity. So he set out for Blemish. But Milchu, hearing of his approach and misunderstanding l»p object in coming, set fire to his house and burned himself in the flames. His brother and children became' converts-

At Tara. From his knowledge of the political and economic conditions of the people, Patrick knew that if he could oonvert the chiefs to his faith the, tribes would follow. So he determined to set out to Tara, where Leghaire, the Ard-ri (high-king) dwelt. Many stories aire tola of thiß visit. It took place at Easter. The old story records how Patrick lit his pascal fire oli Easter Ere-on the hill of Slane at the' Same time that Leghaire was - observing a Druidic feast at Tara. The law forbade the lighting of any other fire until it should be" kindled from the king's fire. Angered by this flouting of his dignity, Leghaire sent for Patrick, whilo a druid, standing by, gave utterance to the prophecy: "If that firG is not extinguished to-night it will never be put otit in all Ireland." It" is said that Patrick came before Leghaire chanting-his "Lorica." It seems probable that in the form we ' have it the hymn is of later date, but it is possible that

ST. PATRICK. The Patron Saint of Ireland.

Patrick did use a "first edition" on this occasion. Leghairo had given orders that Patrick was to be received in silence, and that no one was to rise in greeting at his entrance, but so dignified and commanding was his mien that Eve disobeyed the order, saluted Patrick with respect, and became a convert. Patrick seems to have won over Leghaire, for, instead of being punished, ho stayed at Tarn, made many converts at the Court, including several of the King's family, and received authority to preach the new religion throughout the land. Whether Leghaire himself can claim the honour of being the first Christian Ard-ri is tindecided. Some stories record his conversion, but ho was buried in full armour, in a standing posture, after the pagan fashion.

To this period belongs the well-known story of how St. Patrick used the shamrock to illustrate the doctrine of tho Trinity. This is the origin of Ireland's national emblem. Missionary Labours. ! Deciding to strike at the heart of the Druid religion, Patrick made his way to Mogh Slecht (the Plane of Adoration) in the present County Cavan. Here stood the idol Crom Cruaeli surrounded by twelve lesser idols. The S»int destroyed them and founded a church on the site. Thence he went to Connacht, and for the next seven years Bathcroghan was the centre from which he directed his i labours. The legend of the banishment of the snakes belongs to this period. When Christianity had taken root in.ithe west ho moved his headquarters south to Cashel to win Munster. Moving north he made friends with Daine, a chieftain of Ulster, who gave him a line site on the top of Ard Macha (Queen Macha's hill). Here the Saint built a monastery and made his headquarters. The See of Armagh was founded m the year 453, over 150 years before the foundation of Canterbury. St. Patrick proved able an organiser as lie was daring* a'pioneer. He had the gift of attracting able and brilliant men to work fpr liirij and could inspire them his, ideals. These . ?,! n ch ® r <? e of, the work in each tribe, visiting them from 1 tim? to time. His travels were prodigious, his enerer wonderful. There is hardly a barony'or a townland in Ireland that does not treasure some tradition—a church he founded, a holy well, a rock he blessed a place where he paused to rest. The nomenclature of Ireland is saturated with the name of Patrick.

Last Days. The Saint spent the last years, of his life at Saul—the scene of his first success. Too feeble for long journeys, he spent liis days, with a band of his favourite disciples, in peaceful retirement It was at Saul he died. There is some doubt where his actual grave is. Armagh advances a claim, but the traditional site is a few yards from the door of Downpatrick Cathedral. Within the last 50 years a large rough-hewn stone of granite, with the letters Padrig incised upon it, has been placed to mark the spot.

To very few pioneer missionaries has been granted the glory of seeing a whole nation brought within the fold of the Church in their own lifetime. It is a wonderful tribute to the winning personality, the arduous labours the consuming zeal, to the prayer faith of St. Patrick that when lie came to Ireland the power of the Druids was supreme, but when he, died their power was broken and Christianity established in every part of Ireland