His Work

His episcopal ministry began in County Down in the north. The very first convert was a local chieftain, Dichu, whose original impulse had been to kill the intruder. Next, we are told, comes a touching and sad incident: Patrick proceeded with haste to the nearby locale of his servitude, with 
hope of at least visiting if not converting his former owner but the latter, fearing either Patrick's retribution or his religion, killed himself. 

Shaking off his sorrow, Patrick proceeded with spreading Christianity in the region. Next he headed south, first to Meath and then beyond. 

Wherever he went, he operated with energy, courage, and a shrewd awareness of what 
methods would be most effective for the Irish situation and temperament. For instance, his initial 
tactic upon coming to a new region was usually to gain at least the good will, if not the conversion, of the local king. This freed him not only to work among the local populace but also to erect churches 
and related structures. 

His experience in Meath is particularly worth noting. It came early in his career. The monarch in question, Laoghaire, was the high king of Ireland and their initial contact was dramatic. In brief, 
Patrick kindled not only the Paschal candle but also a grand fire atop a mountain, just as Laoghaire and his court were about to light a pagan fire on the Hill of Tara ten miles to the south. Patrick's courage and miracle working not only protected him at the king's court after this incident, he also won Laoghaire's benevolent neutrality-though, it seems, not his conversion -and established a thriving Christianity throughout Meath before moving on. 

Another testimonial to Patrick's good sense, some historians note, was the attention he gave to the conversion of women, including the female members of kingly families. This surely paid dividend, because women were unusually highly respected in Ireland during that era of history. One charming example, elaborated into a legend, is his almost instant conversion of two daughters of the high king himself. 

Towns or cities were rare or nonexistent in this tribal society, so Patrick tended mainly to establish monasteries throughout the land. From the beginning, he realized the importance of developing a native clergy. He consecrated a large number of bishops (one source puts their number at 450), and, it seems clear, assigned them to be responsible for specific regions. In his initial years as a bishop in Ireland, he himself was subordinate to Auxerre and Aries, but after a visit to the Pope, he was freed of that tie and began to base the Church governance locally, from Armagh. 

Patrick felt that he was not learned (a point about which he was quite sensitive), and his troubles in getting sent to Ireland may mean that his superiors felt the same way. Be that as it may, he proved to be a preacher and catechist of immense power and persuasiveness. In the words of the French historian Henri Daniel-Raps, "Patrick succeeded in the wonderful feat of converting Ireland smoothly and without violence of any sort -there were no martyrs in Ireland - as it were, substituting Christianity for Druidism through the action of free competition and by the manifestation of a power that was spiritually and miraculously superior to its (Druidic) rival." Daniel-Raps points out that Patrick fought the sorcery of the Druids with his miracles while also discussing poetry and mysticism with the powerful school of Bards and winning the souls of royal Celtic princes. 

Some biographers speculate that Patrick did not like the Irish. This seems highly implausible over the long term, especially in light of his ability and apparent inclination to converse with them, on matters small as well as great. It seems unlikely that any person of holiness and good will could become intimately involved in the life of a nation for a long period yet be able to maintain a dislike for it. At any rate, other historians rebut the theory more simply-they say Patrick already fell in love with Ireland during his youthful captivity. The date of Patrick's death is also disputed. It is generally put at 461, after some 30 years of ministry in Ireland.