Saint Patrick and Christianity in Irish Culture Essay Example

The most famous person in Irish history wasn’t even Irish! Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was not born there, but Great Britain, and brought Christianity to Ireland. “Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion” (history.com editors). The most practiced religions in Ireland were Celticism, Paganism, and Christianity. Celticism was the basis for Paganism and so the two are very similar. The major differences between the Celtics, Pagans and Christians is that the Celtics and Pagans are polytheistic, while Christians are monotheistic. Pagans believe that the deities roam the earth while Christians believe that God exists in a higher place. Religion changed many times throughout the centuries. The Irish converted from Celtic to Paganism to Christianity, and Christianity remains the main religion, although some still follow Celticism and Paganism. 

Celtism is a polytheistic religion; they believe the Gods live on earth compared to heaven. There are many Celtic Gods and Goddesses; including: Ana, the Primordial Goddess of Nature, Dagda, the Cheerful Chief of Gods, and Aegnus, the Youthful God of Love. According to Mark Cartwright, the ancient Celts lived in tribal groups, in western and central Europe from 700 BCE to 400CE. Although they lived in the same region, the tribes never conjoined. “...common features of the ancient Celtic religion include...a belief in the protective totems, particularly animals like the stag or the boar…”(Cartwright). The people of Celtic religion believed that a totem with stags and boars carved into them would keep them safe from any harm. Celticism was the basis for Paganism.

Paganism's main beliefs are unity of people, and love for the earth. They cared very much about including everyone, and doing their best to keep the world a good, safe place. Pagans are a person or peoples holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions. According to patheos.com, Paganism represents a variation of traditions which emphasize great respect for nature and the revival of ancient polytheistic religious practices. The Pagans took care of the earth by gardening, and making sure other people cared for the earth as well as they did. “...Paganism encompasses two key characteristics: 1) religious and spiritual practices concerning the worship of, or devotion to, the earth, the natural world and/or the manifest physical universe… 2) belief in spiritual beings: goddesses, gods, nature spirits…, and ancestral spirits”(christianity.com editorial staff). Those who were Paganistic were very worldly and were in no way temporal. Saint Patrick brought Christianity after receiving a revelation from God telling him it was time to convert the Irish from Paganism to Christianity.

The most famous Irish person in history is Saint Patrick; he is famous for bringing Christianity to Ireland. Saint Patrick lived in Britain until he was kidnapped at the age of sixteen by a group of  Paganistic Irish raiders. They brought him to Ireland, and there he spent six years as a prisoner. He worked as a shepherd, isolated from everyone. This is when he turned to God and became a devout Christian. According to Saint Patrick, during his journey to Ireland, the Pagans were starving; he prayed that they had enough food to be full. Along came a herd of pigs and by the time they finished, even the dogs were full. This is the point where the Pagans first started doubting their polytheistic beliefs. After being held prisoner for six years, he escaped and made the journey back to Britain. “After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation- an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than 15 years”(history.com editors). After his second revelation and his training, he became an ordained priest. He then went back to Ireland to begin converting the Irish. The Christianity is still the main religion today, but some people in Ireland are still Celtic or Paganistic.

The Irish completed their conversion from Celtic to Paganistic and onto Christianity, which contains the majority of the country's religion. The Irish will never completely be one religion but it’s important to recognize the past religions in a certain place. “One principle of the Pagan movement is polytheism, the belief in and veneration of multiple gods or goddesses”(christianity.com editorial staff). Both Celtic and Pagan religions are polytheistic, but Christianity is monotheistic, the Irish are mainly Christian but a good chunk of them are still Celtic or Paganistic. Saint Patrick may be the most famous person in Irish history, but wasn’t Irish and he didn’t grow up there. Saint Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland and it has been kept that way for a very long time.