St. Patrick, a slave who became Ireland’s foremost saint.

At the age of 16, Patrick was a slave. He was taken prisoner by a group of Irish pirate raiders who were attacking his family’s estate and he was sold into slavery.

Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Much of what is known about Saint Patrick comes from the Declaration, which was said to be written by Patrick himself. His family was wealthy. His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest in the Christian church. Patrick was born in Britain to a Romanized family.

His family was attacked and he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland, where he spent six years in captivity. (There is some conflict over where this captivity took place. Although many believe he was taken to live in Mount Slemish in County Antrim, it is more probable that he was held in County Mayo near Killala.) During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.)

After more than six years as a slave, Patrick escaped from his master. According to his writing, a voice – which he believed to be God’s – spoke to him in a dream, telling him it…