The Irish Legend

[Highwayhound]

I teach the high school class at my parish, St. Patrick’s. I have decided to steps to teach my students more about St. Patrick. In order to do so I first must learn more about him, and his faith. The first step was that I recently watched the film St. Patrick - the Irish Legend with Patrick Bergen and Malcolm McDowell.

I did a web search this morning and read some short biographies about the saint. If you know of any interesting websites please let me know of them as well.

One bit of dialogue from the movie stuck with me. It follows.

After being abducted from his homeland Patrick is sold into slavery in Ireland. Patrick is then sent out onto a hillside to shepherd a flock of sheep. He is miserable. A slave girl approaches him, bringing him food. Here is the conversation that follows:

Slave Girl: “You have to accept it Patrick. You are a slave now.”

Patrick: “I’ll tell you what I am! I am dead and this is hell!!”

Slave Girl: “No Patrick, it’s just Ireland.”

This last line made me chuckle and then last evening while praying the rosary before teaching class these words came to mind (my church is St. Patrick’s). I smiled a warm smile all the time I prayed. I am interested in learning more about St. Patrick. What are some good books about St. Patrick?

Having never been to Ireland my last question is this, who is more right - young Patrick or the slave Girl?

 

[Stella76]

Thomas Cahill writes engagingly about St. Patrick in his book How the Irish Saved Civilization. It’s worth a read, I think.

In undergrad I read a couple of fairly early medieval Lives of St. Patrick (in English translation) that were really interesting (Muirchu wrote one…Tirechan the other)…I wonder if they might be posted online in their entirety on some university’s website?

Good luck!

*Stella

 

[Highwayhound]

Thomas Cahill writes engagingly about St. Patrick in his book How the Irish Saved Civilization. It’s worth a read, I think.

In undergrad I read a couple of fairly early medieval Lives of St. Patrick (in English translation) that were really interesting (Muirchu wrote one…Tirechan the other)…I wonder if they might be posted online in their entirety on some university’s website?

Good luck!

*Stella

Thank you for the book title. I will give it a read.

University websites is not a place I would have looked. I will give that a shot, too.

God bless