Cheers to everyone celebrating St. Patrick's Day! Here's a few "generally accepted" historical details that most people haven't heard of. St. Patrick was possibly born in Scotland or Wales. At the age of 16 he was captured by Irish pirates and was enslaved and held captive for six years. While in captivity he worked as a shepherd and this is when he developed spiritually. After escaping captivity Patrick returned home in his early twenties and studied Christianity with the desire to bring it back to Ireland. He returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary and was instrumental in the building of more than 300 churches and the baptizing of over 100,000 people. He once used the shamrock in a parable to describe the Holy Trinity and since then the shamrock and the colour green have been associated with St. Patrick. March 17th is believed to be his death date and is celebrated as his Feast Day. Although he was never formally canonized by a Pope, he is considered to be in the List of Saints.