Commanders History Corner, March 14th: On Monday, March 17th, we will celebrate Irish heritage and culture and the impact of Celtic people on American and world history. As you raise a pint of Irish stout or eat a hearty banquet of corned beef and cabbage, ensure you raise your glass to Saint Patrick, the patron saint of the Emerald Isle. St. Patrick, oddly enough, was not himself Irish. He was born in Roman Britain (modern day Whales and southern Great Britain) to an affluent, aristocratic family of religious nobles. At the age of 16, Patrick was kidnapped by Celtic pirates and sold into slavery, where he tended sheep for seven years in the cold, Irish countryside. In the seventh year of his captivity, he began to hear a voice. The voice revealed to him his method of escape and he returned to his homeland in Britain. The voice emerged again, however, and instructed him to return to Ireland and the pagan peoples who enslaved him, and bring Christianity to the Island. Patrick spend the remainder of his days converting Ireland to Christianity, and to teach the Celtic people of the triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), he used the indigenous plant species trifolium dubium – three leaf clover, or shamrock. Myths abound regarding Ireland’s patron saint, one of which is that he drove all the snakes from the Island. This, however, is more of a metaphor than a reality, as no snakes have ever existed in Ireland, but the proverbial snake of paganism was driven out and replaced by Catholic Christianity, because of Patrick’s life’s work. He passed away on March 17th, 461 Anno Domini (AD). Remembrance of his impact on Ireland has been celebrated for centuries, but the first public festival in honor of Saint Patrick was celebrated in Boston in 1737, by Irish immigrants. Over the decades, his feast has come to be celebrated the world over, in America especially. Every March 17th we wear green, in honor of the Emerald Isle’s lush green landscapes, and celebrate the feast of the man who signifies the heart of Celtic tradition and spirit. Enjoy this high, Celtic holiday, Delta Company. For on this day, we are all Irish.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:25:15 +0000
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