"Never iron a four leaf clover.
You don't want to press your luck."
Southern Living
St. Timothy's Roman Catholic Grade School was riddled with Irish families. I grew up hearing the praises of St. Patrick and how he eliminated snakes from Ireland. It wasn't until I was much older that I accidentally came across historical facts that projected an entirely different 'saint' and revealed exaggerated storytelling.
To begin with, St. Patrick was never canonized and he was not Irish. He did not introduce christianity to Ireland, as there were already a few. Most Irish practiced a nature based pagan religion centered around oral tradition and myth. St. Patrick adapted Irish traditional rituals into his lessons of christianity to be more easily accepted.
The sun was a powerful Irish symbol that St. Patrick super imposed upon the cross which is now known as the Celtic Cross. Part of the Irish way of life was spinning exciting tales. It is no surprise that tales of St. Patrick's life were highly exaggerated and falsified. Today, highly practiced traditions were not from Ireland, but created in America.
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