From the Smithsonian.

Though he would become the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick was actually British. A citizen of the Roman Empire, Patricius—his Latin name—was born into the nobility some time between A.D. 390 and 400. Though his family was Christian, they were not devout, and young Patrick was an atheist. He lived the comfortable life of a rich man's son until, at 15 years old, he was kidnapped by pirates, taken to Ireland and sold into slavery.







Celebrating St. Patrick | History | Smithsonian Magazine