Like all good Saints days, Saint Patricks is shrouded in mythology and speculation which does little to harm his reputation as being a real swell guy to raise our glasses to. The legend of the snakes is perhaps the story that is told most often when the 17th March rolls around. And why shouldnt it be? After all, it has the inherent themes of danger and heroism similar to what we would find in a Hollywood movie (Samuel L. Jackson anybody?).

The problem is there is no evidence that snakes ever existed on Ireland after the Ice Age, and that this legend probably refers to the banishing of druids because of their serpent symbolism rather than any literal adders hiding in the grass and relentlessly striking fear in the heart of Irish. Or what about the case of the Pelagianists? Another belief (again represented by snakes), that those who sin, along with the rest of humanity, are completely responsible for their actions and no-one is subject to divine influence. An idea that probably wouldnt sit too well with a missionary who based his career on a vision hed had in his twenties.

And Saints day celebrations dont just turn up. It wasnt announced on Patricks death that from that day forth his sainthood would be celebrated. This is where Luke Wadding enters the equation. In fact, it was his work over a millennium later that undoubtedly led to us celebrating Saint Patrick at all.

Wadding was an Irish Friar born in 1588. As you might expect, he also did a lot more for the cause of international Catholicism than people might realize. A keen historian, Wadding had an integral part in the education of young priests and students, becoming president of the University of Salamanca (Spains oldest university) in 1617. Several years later, he dedicated his time to collecting funds in order to establish the Irish College of Saint Isodore (called the Pontifical Irish College, today) in Rome, and after that he founded the Ludovisi College.

As for his work for recognising the importance of Saint Patrick, this is a more complex and intriguing process than one might expect. It was during his time at the College of Saint Isodore that Wadding taught the importance of setting aside a feast day for Patrick. By this time in history, every day of the calendar year had been linked with a saint (a tradition that had stemmed from celebrating the original martyrs) at some time. In order to deal with this, the Roman calendar was refined to retain fewer saints restricted to specific days. It is when one acknowledges how widely celebrated the non-martyr (for this, his type of feast day is ranked secondary or memorial, usually an optional celebration compared to the obligatory solemnities) Saint Patrick, is today, one can truly accept the importance of Waddings influence on the church, and society, today.

If you are planning to go to Ireland for this year's Saint Patrick's Day, you are advised to book cheap flights well in advanced, as during this time tourists from all the corners of the world will flood into the country. You better be quick! Enjoy Saint Patrick's Day - and let's say: Drink responsibly.