Who Was Saint Patrick?

St. Patrick's Day may be a time for parades, green beer and claiming Irish heritage, but who was the man behind the holiday? It's been said that he's responsible for driving the snakes out of Ireland. However, there were never any snakes there to begin with. Actually born in Britain, Patrick was brought to Ireland as a captive, where he became a Christian. He escaped, but eventually returned to the Emerald Isle as a Christian missionary. He wasn't the first person to bring Christianity to Ireland, but he was one of the most successful.