From the Jacket

The search for the 'real Saint Patrick' has puzzled and intrigued scholars for centuries. How much can we really know about the life and times of Patrick? Why and how was the Patrick myth built up in the seventh century, and what was its influence on the development of Irish Catholicism? This new study takes a fresh approach to these questions. It begins by looking at what we expect from history; and the very different expectations of those who made Patrick famous, gave value to his writings so that they were preserved, and produced the interest that is still with us. Only when we can distinguish between the problems and perspectives of the hagiographer, on the one hand, and the historian, on the other, can we begin to approach Patrick.

This is superb popular history, rooted in a lifetime of research and study of the original sources, that undermines many of our preconceptions about Patrick and reveals several surprises. It includes new translations of the Muirchu life of Patrick and Patrick's own writings and other material from the seventh century relating to Patrick, as well as an extensive bibliography and resources for further reading.

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Contents

Acknowledgements
Preface

Part 1

1. Man, myth and history
2. The earliest Christians in Ireland
3. Patrick the man
4. Patrick's perceptions of space and time
5. Patrick's view of his ministry
6. The patrician 'Dark Age'
7. Muirchú and the crystallisation of the legend
8. Patrick the icon

Part 2

1. The Confession of St Patrick
2. The Epistola Militibus Corotici by St. Patrick
3. The Sayings of St. Patrick
4. The Hymn to St. Patrick
5. The Vita Patricii by Muirchú

Bibliography
Index of Scriptural citations
General Index