St Patrick’s Day and the mystery of the second Patrick

A little known story tells of two 5th-century characters named Patricius, or Patrick, who were involved in promulgating Christianity in Ireland

Celebrated every year with swathes of green and pints of Guinness, Saint Patrick is the most famous of Ireland’s trio of patron saints (the others are Brigid and Colm Cille, aka Columba).

St Patrick’s story is well known. Not just because of the annual global phenomenon his feast day has become, but also thanks to a considerable body of original written evidence.

Chief among this are his personal writings – the Confession and Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus. But there are also many others – annals, biographies, hymns, poems – written centuries after his lifetime.

Read the full story on Times2.

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