St. Patrick’s birth name was Maewyn, and he was born in Britain. He was kidnapped into slavery and brought to Ireland. He escaped to Gaul, France and was there converted to Christianity. He went back to Ireland in 432 as a missionary. Patrick became a bishop and after his death, he was named Ireland’s patron saint. Eighteenth-century Irish soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War held the first St. Patrick’s Day parades. The celebrations became a way for the Irish to connect with their roots after the moved to America.

                                                                              Anna B.

http://www.gpb.org/education/origins-of-st-patricks-day