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Roman civilization never had much impact in Ireland. The empire had conquered the southern half of Britain, then stopped.
The Irish were only barbarians as far as the Romans were concerned—simple natives to trade with or to fight off, depending on their mood.
By about the year 400, it was getting more difficult for the Romans to defend their far-off province of Britain. Taking advantage of the lax defenses, a band of Irish raiders made a sudden attack on northern Britain and carried off several people as slaves.
One of those slaves was a sixteen-year-old boy who would later be known as Patrick. The son of upper-class Romans, he had been raised as a Christian, but not a very sincere one. Now he found himself sold as a slave to a Druid priest in Ireland, where he spent his days tending sheep.
Shepherding is hard work, but it gave the youth long periods of time alone to think.…
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As he always does, Mike has opened a new door. Never realized that the Irish monks had to reeducate the continent. It gives me joy to be partially Irish.