The man who created St. Patrick’s Day is now long forgotten by Irish

jacersagain! The Welsh (the original Britons) are symbolically excluded from the union jack. Their national flag is green and white surmounted by a red dragon. Interesting point you make re Saint Brighid's cross, though it could be considered somewhat swatika-esque. (I wouldn't go placing it on a white circle against a red background). Perhaps it unconsciously influenced the Saint Patrick's Cross in the union jack, since it appears peculiarly off centre and disoriented.

Very interesting

scientific knowledge is fine show me aopostolic evidence with the science to prove it. You're more of a fool than I thought you were

And Seano's mono culture of atheistic disbelive is honest? - dismissing the wealth of scientific and Apostolic evidence to the contrary? Someday, Seano's children and Granchilden will discover how wrong he is. I hope he finds so too before he expires his last breath.

Citzen69 I was married in the Pressy church and my children were educated at a grammar school so you see your mono-culture remark is silly. Just keep cherry picking and sounding nonsencical.

If Wadding hadn’t pushed for St. Patrick, then maybe we would have St. Brigid’s Day, or St. Columba’s (or Colmcille’s) Day. If I had a choice for a national holiday, I would go for dropping St. Patrick on March 17th and Brigid (February 1st) which dates tends to be cold and wet like yesterday’s St. Patrick’s Day and opt for Columba who’s feast-day is June 9th, a much warmer time of year in Ireland and nicer too because all the summer flowers are blooming then.

cillowen... Mea culpa, you’re right. St. David is not represented on the UK flag. I was once given to understand that one of the white crosses (diagonal or vertical/horizontal, I forget which was mentioned), was the Welsh cross but that info was wrong, so thank you for the correction. Don’tcha think the Welsh would be screaming out to be represented on the Union Jack?? I think we Irish should bloody well be screaming out for St. Patrick’s cross to be taken off it... if that happened, there’d be plenty of room for a cross of St. David. >> St. Columba of Ireland is also known as St. Colmcille, who apart from his mission in Scotland, also founded monasteries in Derry, Kells and in the town of Swords (in Irish called Sórd Colmcille) near Dublin Airport. He is, like St. Brigid, reputed to be buried in the same grave as St. Patrick is in Downpatrick, Nth Ireland. There was an ancient Irish prophecy that the three saints would one day lie together and so we have the famous words: “In Down, three saints one grave do fill – Patrick, Brigid and Colmcille”.

By the way the UKer's Union Jack does not have a symbol for St David for Wales - they as a people are buried within England's St. George made up thingie. The Welsh are the only people with a saint born of one of their own St David. St Patrick was taken from Severn Valley Wales as a slave one who magically fell in love with the land that took him. Greater love had no man such as he, who came back to teach the Irish. The Scots and English took some saints from middle east and claimed them. Prior to Reformation the Scots had Iona's famed St Columba of Ireland as their close at home saint before hating set in. Who knew?

So spare a thought for Luke Wadding this St. Patrick’s Day. Without him we would likely never have the grand occasion we celebrate this week. - WHY NOT FROM HERE ON OUT.

As an afterthought Curitiba - imagine what St. Brigid's uniquely-shaped, straw-coloured cross would look like on the United Kingdom's national flag instead of St. Patrick's red diagonal cross...

Thanks to Curitiba for funny question... if we didn’t have St. Patrick’s Day as you ask, well... why, we’d have St. Brigid’s or St. Columba’s Day! - complete with all the same mishmash of celebrations plastered in green, white and orange. Why doesn’t England celebrate St. George’s Day, or Scotland St. Andrew’s Day or Wales St. David’s Day in the same fun-filled way we Irish do? After all, the crosses of St. David, St. Andrew, St. George and St. Patrick fill the UK’s national flag!

Not for the first time I've learned something about my own country I didn't know. That's what I like about IrishCentral. It very often gives a refreshing perspective of one own hinterland that those living here can't see the wood for the trees. Thanks Niall and all at Láranach Éireannach/Irish Central!

It was the group in Ireland known as The Old English who were most ardent in support of the Pope during the Protestant Reformation. They organized the rebellions in favor of the Popes. Many of the leading Celtic families were ambivalent, some welcoming a reform of the monasteries and the church. The Old English won over most of the leading Celtic families to their cause, but not the O'Biens.

Citzen69, I know some commenters can be a little intemperate but there is absolutely nothing about Luke Wadding which is offensive to protestants or Unionists. In fact many would be grateful to him for raising the profile of St Patrick who is their patron as well.

This article is typical of Irish Central's insensitivity and disrespect to Irish Protestants. And same old Seanmelb I see, smearing everyone as anti-Irish who doesn't fit into his narrow-minded little mono-cultural perception of Irishness.