What was once a religious day – a feast for its namesake Christian Missionary and the patron Saint of Ireland is now a global celebration of Irish culture – Saint Patrick’s Day. It was originally celebrated in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland but now the holiday is known for being celebrated worldwide – and celebrated hard.
Local pubs and bars are usually full to the brim with cheery people dressed in shamrock hats in a sea of green, with parades being held all over the country. Yet this year, on the 17th of March 2021, it’s going to be a very different sight to behold.
This specific holiday holds a different meaning for the people of Wales as a whole, as many believe he was born in Bannavem Taberniae – which could be Banwen in Neath, Port Talbot, where every year a service is held in his honour.
The annual event sees a small collection of residents, historians and school children congregate beside a plaque left in memory of the patron saint of Ireland, before they retire to a community centre for a cup of tea which unfortunately won’t be done this year.
Others consider his birthplace to be in the south of Wales around the Severn estuary, or at St. David’s in Pembrokeshire. Patrick may well have been born in present-day Wales. He was definitely born in the west of Britain. He may have thought of himself as a Cymro, and the English would doubtless have classified him as Welsh.
His first language probably the ancestor of Welsh. And yet, we know that he chose Ireland. He is a footnote in the history of Wales, but utterly central to that of Ireland. He is said to have been ordained as a priest before returning to Ireland and the training he received to do this missionary work is, again, said by some to have taken place in Wales at the Church of Llantwit Major.
Whether he was Welsh or not, the usual excitement of attending a parade or a concert or just downing a proper pint of Guinness at the pub will be sorely missed but I recommend doing what the Welsh and Irish are great at and that’s getting drunk – but in the comfort of your own home this year.
