Although Patrick is the patron Saint of Ireland, he was
born in the troubled Roman colony of southern Briton around
400AD. In one of the many Irish raids, he was taken as a
slave to the political base in northern Connaught of the
Irish chieftain Niall of the Nine Hostages and then sold
as a slave to an Ulster chief named Milcho.
He was set to look after livestock on Slemish, a strange up-turned boat of a hill that dominates the skyline of central Antrim. It was during this hard and lonely exile that his thoughts turned to God for courage and consolation. He escaped from captivity at the end of six sad years.
St. Martin of Tours was his mother's brother, and to him the young man made his way to seek for instruction that would fit him to serve God and rescue souls from paganism. Four years later Saint Martin sent Patrick with Saint Germanus of Auxerre to Pope Celestine. When consecrated bishop, the Pope agreed that Patrick could return to Ireland to bring Christianity to the people he had grown to love.
When Patrick and his followers landed at a Meath in 432, he was summoned to the presence of the High King of Ireland, Laoire, who was then at Tara for the summer festival. Fearing attack on the way to Tara he composed and recited the beautiful prayer The Breastplate of Saint Patrick.
Christ be with me
Christ be before me
Christ be behind me
Christ be within me
Christ be beneath me
Christ be above me
Christ be at my right
Christ be at my left
Christ be in the fort
Christ be in the chariot seat
Christ be in the ship
Christ be in the heart of everyone who thinks of me
Christ be in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me
Christ be in every eye that sees me
Christ be in every ear that hears me
Although not a Christian, the High King was sympathetic to Patrick's mission and gave him permission to travel and teach throughout the land.
The conversion of Ireland is the only bloodless spiritual revolution in history, as well as the most successful. Patrick traversed most of the country, blessing and extending the missionary work that had been done by others before his arrival. He adapted pagan festivals and customs and linked them with feasts of the Saints in a way that won him the lasting love of the people.
To help explain the Trinity, Patrick picked a shamrock leaf to show that it is possible to be more three and one: the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Thus the shamrock became associated with Christianity in Ireland.
Other plants are associated with Ireland: some reflecting the split in the church which brought the discord absent from Ireland's early conversion to Christianity, These include bleeding hearts and Aran lilies (neither of which were available for this display), which are associated with the Roman Catholic community and orange lilies and sweet williams for the unionists in Northern Ireland.