No negativity implied here personally boab1916! As I conclude from your writings that none of your points are anti Irish intent.
but just a few wee thoughts as you
did suggest to others to go read history!
How certain can anyone be about anything? how certain can we be of events reported just yesterday that we were not present at?
but about someone supposedly from the 5th century? someone of a totally different world regardless of even if native stock who spoke a language in a dialect none of us could have credibly understood many if any word of!
You are repeating origin claims one of the many different versions of the origin about Patrick as if 'fact', but what are actually
nothing more credible than stories and myths.
Some of which were specifically recreated re-written
by the imposed Norman French clergy , tales written hundreds of years after events
the best part of a millennia after!, stories retold on behalf of and for the benefit of Norman French land and asset grabbers, especially their 'king grabber'.
If you asked the Irish of the last century, many if not most would have to mind a possible 'French origin for Patrick, the british
tale is a much more recent story.
Anyway unless you speak old Latin please don't reply with Patricks
supposed Confessio, as the claims for that! are that - just claims!
there is no credible evidence let alone proof! that he as a individual existed!
let alone that he was actually some supposed self identified brit, which is a pitiful and laughable idea, as a reality check: -
no one until well over a thousand years after the supposed time of 'Patrick' would even use the word british in print, let alone an identity for mass of very different tribes (many of who were Irish origin tribes) who spoke many different tongues on a island would self identify commonly as at the time of patrick!
All that british stuff is about as old as the steam train, invented for colonial wars.
Even the extremist whack jobs who sailed in the mayflower, who were not the first or even second European immigrant North American town makers
(british BS history teachers selectively ignorant of St. Augustine for example)
even those whack jobs did not use the word or claimed themselves as English let alone british.
History is ever so slightly more complex than repeatable soundbytes and especially very modern british colonial contrived bs soundbytes, stories of supposed history, many based on agenda for purpose of resources theft.
If there is no proof that any individual such as Patrick existed ever?
Then what about those Norseman French and their story tellers! The story of Patrick whether French or Welsh or Scot (not that either nation existed as we know it at that time)
Ever considered how convenient tales they are - whether the older tale that he was from France or more recently that he was kidnapped from Britain.
The story that someone to look up to, to pay allegiance to was a foreigner, more Irish than the Irish!
They like all asset grabbers, prefer to have a 'storyline' that promotes the idea that they are not mere thugs and criminals, but benefactors as they murder and plunder.
Go read history and study as some have done for decades, search for the actual evidence that Patrick was real let alone an immigrant! you will not be able to find what can be considered historical evidence beyond even the most basic questions.
So your own ideas are nothing but stories! british bias centric stories, simple to learn by purpose and design, so they catch on and are repeated like a simple virus.
Versions of the Patrick story' can be found in the old colonization of any land, a central foreign figure to be listened to, more respected than their own native kin.
Thankfully for the story tellers, human beings are essentially a pack type of species the world over.
But the Irish contrary to what some imagine here and there! are no more likely to betray or begrudge their own, it could be credibly argued from historical account, that with their long list of martyrs and those who defied the odds at all costs, that there is something in the land that evolves the DNA to not be so keen to join in with the pack mentality!
Anyway back to St Paddy, No one knows for certain who Patrick was or if he was even a single individual person.
For certain no credible history can claim that Patrick was the first Christian in Ireland, there were very likely native Christians prior to him if he ever existed as a person.
maybe they were not evangelicals, more isolated in prayer or Christians more by deed,
Be good to think so as they are always the more credible 'Christ like' people for want of a better word than those with a megaphone in the high street telling you what Jesus meant.
Some professional historians imagine or conclude
from presumably long study that - the persona was created from a number of different Christian monks, or not even Christian events, their deeds combined and incorporated to invent someone to look up to, a central iconic figure to convert and conform the masses. more incorporate and conquer than divide and conquer, but same end goal.
No credible scholar for example believes there was an abundance of snakes to banish, yet people like yourself quote the rest of the story as if fact!
These tales combined the story of Patrick!
were just as likely all Irish natives in origin, deeds recalled but names forgotten, easy to rewrite and incorporate!
Consider that the peoples, the tribes of the island of Ireland themselves, who for centuries around and after the time of Patrick were exporting monks to other islands, including your own land of Scotland, let alone needing to kidnap some supposed native brit to come over and teach them what 'Jesus actually meant'.
Norman theft of land. the Time of the political Popes!
It could be argued that 'Patrick' needed inventing, not just for Norman colonial theft but for the Irish incorporation into the Rome based Christian ideas of what Jesus meant!
There are as credible claims that early Irish Christianity was more like eastern orthodox.
No matter what any claim here! logically if not for certain those ancient Irish Christian would not recognize any mass anywhere in the world of today!
the only absolute fact of the icon is that today and for many a decade now, most Irish people at home and more so those Irish and of Irish ancestry and connections around the world, know and recognize the day as theirs.
And that is the real significance of worth of the created evolving image of Saint Patrick.
The Irish themselves alone, along with their ancient story telling abilities have created and evolved a global brand long before coca cola evolved.
Leaving aside the Chinese new year, which is not quite the same, but never the less the only comparable national global iconic image.
No other nation has a day that is so iconic, apart from China none anywhere has a national day that even approaches the global iconic status of IRISH DAY.
Regardless of the silliness the drink the reason behind the need for a day, a people held back denied rights, ridiculed mocked, just like none of you would have a Celtic FC if it were not for the Irish of the past, a day the world knows! that is
a remarkable achievement of the Irish of the past.
one many other nations, most especially the britlanders are extremely jealous of!