Saint Patrick

The Ulster we know today was shaped in the 1700s – when the Ulster-Scots emerged as a distinct people – but the peoples of these islands were living together and influencing each other for thousands of years before that – diverse yet interdependent.

There is no better example than Patrick, the man who brought Christianity to Ireland. Born and raised on the banks of the Clyde, he was kidnapped as a youth and brought to Ulster as a slave. Six years alter he escaped and found his way home, only to return and bring the good news of Christianity to his former captors, changing this place forever.

For centuries, people of all faiths here were aware of Patrick’s roots across the North Channel and the many traditions in Ulster and Scotland. More recently, the stories have disappeared behind a mist of shamrocks, shillelaghs and green beer. Rediscover the story of Patrick in his own words, the places he left behind and the rich traditions associated with Ulster’s Scottish Saint.