Home » Travel » Travel in Ireland » The Legend of St. Patrick and the Hill of Slane

The Legend of St. Patrick and the Hill of Slane

© Irene Togher

I couldn't possibly let March slip by without mentioning St. Patrick. The celebrations on the 17th of March every year, in his honor, have made St. Patrick world famous. Primarily a religious holiday in Ireland, St. Patrick's day has now become one of the only national holidays to be celebrated outside of its own country. For that one day in the year everyone wants to be Irish.

The proven facts of his life are limited but St. Patrick's legend has certainly lived on. He is reputed with bringing Christianity to Ireland in a time when pagan High Kings ruled. Copies of his writings tell us that he was born in Great Britain and captured by Irish sailors at the age of sixteen. He was taken into slavery and worked as a shepherd on the hills of Ireland. Here he formed a unique relationship with God and found strength in his religion. Six years later he managed to escape and returned to his homeland. St. Patrick had every reason to hate the Irish but visions and dreams persuaded him that the pagans of Ireland needed him. He felt compelled to return to Ireland.

For the next 28 years he traveled around Ireland preaching the word of God and converting pagans to Christianity throughout the country. One of the main aspects of his preaching was his explanation of the Holy Trinity. He used the shamrock, with its three leaves on one stem, to explain this concept and the shamrock remains part of our St. Patrick's Day celebrations today.

With so many places in Ireland named after this Patron Saint, it is difficult to decide on one particular place to be on St. Patrick's Day. Probably one of the most famous sites is the Hill of Slane in Co. Meath. Situated within the line of vision of Tara - the seat of the High Kings of Meath - St. Patrick choose this place to burn the light of Christianity in 433 AD. It was the eve of Easter and coincidentally the pagan Feast of Beltane and the Spring Equinox. St. Patrick knew that King Laeghaire would be at Tara to celebrate Beltane. In direct defiance to the law that no fire should be lit in the vicinity of the great festival fire at Tara, St. Patrick lit a bonfire on the Hill of Slane to welcome the light of Christianity. King Laeghaire drove his chariot in anger to the Hill of Slane to arrest this rebel but St. Patrick was so eloquent in his preaching, the King was soon pacified and St. Patrick was allowed to preach Christianity to the pagan army.

The copyright of the article The Legend of St. Patrick and the Hill of Slane in Travel in Ireland is owned by . Permission to republish The Legend of St. Patrick and the Hill of Slane in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.