Table of Contents

Introduction 9

1 Patrick's Place in History 21

1 The Spread of Christianity beyond the Roman Empire 31

3 How Patrick Came to Ireland 41

4 Captivity and Escape 51

5 Sojourn in Gaul and Back to Britain 61

6 Palladius and Patrick 77

7 Political and Social Conditions at That Time 87

8 The First Mission 97

9 Legends of Patrick and the Druids 109

10 Early Conversions and Communities 125

11 Preaching and Legends in Connaught 133

12 Visit to Rome 147

13 The Preeminence of Armagh 153

14 Cloisters and Chieftains 163

15 His Denunciation of Coroticus, and the Confession 173

16 The Real and the Mythic Patrick 185

17 Death and Burial 189

Appendix: The Seventh-Century Biography by Muircbu 195

Sources 199

Acknowledgments 202

Index 203