Did St Patrick REALLY drive the snakes out of Ireland, or has anyone seen them in the Emerald Isle?

Question

since his time? If so, where were they seen, and by who?

Rumor has it that the Welsh can drink the Irish under the table, so ice age or no maybe St Patrick truly thought he saw some snakes!

Answer 1

Naomh Pádraig is credited with many legendary feats, including driving out the "serpents". However, scholarly consensus is that Naomh Pádraig's "serpents" were either the already rapidly dwindling elements of the older native religion or Pelasgian heretics.

Likewise, contrary to common believe, for all he might have done, Pádraig did not bring Christianity to Ireland. That was done generations before him. What Pádraig did was regularize organization and improve communication among Christian hierarchs/abbots on the island.

But it's feckin' bureaucrats who always get all the credit, innit?

Answer 2

No. The snakes that he might have gotten rid of were the two-legged kind. When the islands were formed it was before snakes could get on them.A story told by Saint Patrick himself,tells how he came to return to Ireland.He said that on the night before he was to be assigned a mission,( after he had been made a bishop,this was in Rome)he dreamt that he was walking along a road,when a man approached him and handed him a letter. On it were written the words *The Voice Of Ireland*. When Patrick opened the letter he could hear the voices of men,women and children calling to him to return,they were saying "Holy youth walk amongst us once more," and so forth. In the morning he was told that his mission would be Ireland. There were other Christian missionaries in Ireland,but it was for St. Patrick to really do the job. There is another story about him. It's been said that St.Patrick wrestled with an angel (like Jacob did) and he won,and the angel promised Patrick that the Irish people would always keep the Faith but that they will suffer terribly for it. If that story is true,then the English have done their very best to make it happen. So,to answer you orignal question,no there never were any snakes in Ireland. Peace. : )

Answer 3

Fortunatly the Irish sea stopped the snake spreading to Ireland at the end of the last ice age, all the St Patrick stuff is baloney.
BTW . St Patrick was actually Welsh

Answer 4

The only snakes St. Patrick chased out of Eire are an allusion to the snake of Eden. He was also supposed to have changed a Welsh King into a Wolf.

Answer 5

Saint Patrick
Saint / Holiday Figure
St. Patrick is revered by Christians for establishing the church in Ireland during the fifth century AD. The precise dates and details of his life are unclear, but some points are generally agreed: as a teen he was captured and sold into slavery in Ireland, and six years later he escaped to Gaul (now France) where he later became a monk. Around 432 he returned to Ireland as a missionary and succeeded in converting many of the island's tribes to Christianity. Late in life he wrote a brief text, Confessio, detailing his life and ministry. His feast day, March 17, is celebrated as a day of Irish pride in many parts of the world.
Extra credit: A popular folk tale says that St. Patrick chased all snakes from Ireland, but there is no historical basis for this story... Another folk tale, that he used shamrocks to teach about the holy Trinity, is also generally agreed to be a myth... In Gaelic the saint's name is Padraig.

Answer 6

There were never any snakes in Ireland, this was a reference to St Patrick spreading the word of the church, and converting the local Pagans.

In many parts of the world at that time, many Pagans were snake worshipers, so that is where they got the idea. Truth be known he did not remove them by conversion of faith, many just kept their religion and kept it quiet. The penalties for not converting to the church of Rome in those days were very extreme, sometimes even death.

Hope this helps.

Answer 7

There is no evidence that there were EVER snakes in ireland

Answer 8

another off branded Q I Cee''