logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2022
1 h

164. Saint Patrick

Goalhanger
About this episode

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 


No, Tom isn't turning Brixton's River Effra green, nor is Dominic distributing shamrocks throughout the Oxfordshire countryside, but they're here anyway with a very special pod on the mysterious Apostle of Ireland. 


When was St. Patrick alive? Where was he really born? Why was he kidnapped by pirates? And did he really banish the snakes from Ireland?


All this and more on today's episode of The Rest Is History.


Join The Rest Is History Club for ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bonus episodes, live streamed shows and access to an exclusive chatroom community.


Producer: Dom Johnson


Exec Producer: Jack Davenport


*The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*:


Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia!


Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com


Twitter: 


@TheRestHistory


@holland_tom


@dcsandbrook

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
594. The First World War: The Invasion of Belgium (Part 1)
Following the declaration of war in 1914, how did the outbreak of the First World War unfold? What were the earliest military engagements of this terrible, totemic event? Who were its key political players and how did they respond? What was the attitude to the war in Germany? Wer ... Show More
1 h
Aug 20
593. The Fight of the Century
Why did two men - John Heenan and and Tom Sayers - illegally meet in a field in Hampshire, in 1860, to brutally fight one another, captivating Britain in the process? What can the fight tell us about the nature of Britishness in the 19th century? Was this the birth of boxing? Who ... Show More
57m 19s
Aug 17
592. Mad Victorian Sport
How and when was football invented, and what are the origins of football clubs? What is the connection between public hangings, highwaymen, and early sporting events? Which is the most historically important sporting ground in the world? When was the first cricket test match play ... Show More
56m 35s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
Saint Patrick
Man, myth or legend... who was the real Saint Patrick? Did he really banish all the snakes from Ireland? Where does the shamrock tradition come from? And was he even Irish? In this episode, Tristan is joined by Professor Lisa Bitel of USC Dornsife to find out more about the true ... Show More
38m 45s
Mar 2024
St Patrick (Repeat)
Though St Patrick is honoured by millions of revellers worldwide every year, few know more about him than the popular myths concerning shamrocks and snakes.The real story of St Patrick reads like an adventure story, involving kidnapping, enslavement, and daring escapes. But how d ... Show More
54m 47s
Mar 2024
St Patrick: Pirates, Snakes and Goatees
He wasn't Irish. He didn't wear green. There were no snakes. So who was the real St Patrick? How did his myth grow? And how did he invent the goatee? Podcaster and comedian Alison Spittle joins Maddy and Anthony today as we head back to 4th/5th century Ireland. Alison's tour date ... Show More
46m 42s
Mar 2025
Where does St Patrick's Day come from?
If you’re a fan of sitcoms, no doubt you've seen episodes in which the characters were celebrating Saint Patrick's Day. It's a big deal in the UK and Ireland of course, as well as across the pond in North America.Each year in the build up to March 17th, bars and pubs, especially ... Show More
4m 59s
Mar 2021
Qui était Saint Patrick ?
Son vrai nom est Maewyn Succat. Écoutez l'histoire de Saint Patrick, l'homme à l'origine de la célèbre fête irlandaise ! Un récit à découvrir dans votre podcast Culture G. Aimez, partagez et... abonnez-vous (en activant les notifications). Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/pri ... Show More
2m 37s
Jan 2020
S2E13 For King and Country
Three soldiers of the Black Watch are put to death at the Tower of London. Their sentence: mutiny. Their silence, historic. Why did they choose not to defend themselves? Is the truth wound up with the mysterious stranger who visited them on the eve of their court martial, and how ... Show More
17m 46s
Mar 2020
St. Patrick Didn't Get Rid of Any Snakes, But He Is The Patron Saint of Exterminators
Nearly 1,600 years after Patrick arrived on Ireland (first as a slave, then as a missionary who brought Christianity to the island), he is celebrated as the patron saint of the Emerald Isle and apocryphally believed to have eliminated snakes from the island (which he didn't, but ... Show More
42m 28s
Nov 2023
Life on the Medieval Coast
The popular BBC television series Villages by the Sea explores coastal life through the centuries. Its presenter Ben Robinson is an archaeologist with the fantastic job of exploring lost villages and uncovering their secrets, including those that give an insight into medieval lif ... Show More
41m 8s