A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel. Several battalions are grouped to form a regiment or a brigade.

The nomenclature varies by nationality and by branch of arms, for instance, some armies organize their infantry into battalions, but call battalion-sized cavalry, reconnaissance, or tank units a squadron or a regiment instead. There may even be subtle distinctions within a nation's branches of arms, such as a distinction between a tank battalion and an armored squadron, depending on how the unit's operational role is perceived to fit into the army's historical organization.

A battalion is generally the smallest military unit capable of independent operations (i.e., not attached to a higher command), although many armies have smaller units that are self-sustaining. The battalion is usually part of a regiment, group or a brigade, depending on the organizational model used by that service. The bulk of a battalion will ordinarily be homogeneous with respect to type (e.g., an infantry battalion or a tank battalion), although there are many exceptions. Every battalion will also include some sort of combat service support, typically organized within a combat support company.

The term is Italian in origin, appearing as ''battaglione''. The French changed the spelling to ''bataillon'', whereupon it directly entered into German.

British Army

The term ''battalion'' is used in the infantry, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, (MSSM) and Intelligence Corps only. It was formerly used for a few units in the Royal Engineers (before they switched to regiments), and was also used in the now defunct Royal Army Ordnance Corps and Royal Pioneer Corps. Other corps usually use the term ''regiment'' instead.

An infantry battalion is numbered ordinarily within its regiment (e.g., 1st Battalion, The Rifles, usually referred to as 1 Rifles). It normally has a Headquarters Company, Support Company, and three Rifle Companies (usually, but not always, A, B and C Companies). Each company is commanded by a Major, the Officer Commanding (OC), with a Captain or senior Lieutenant as Second-in-Command (2IC). The HQ company contains signals, quartermaster, catering, intelligence, administration, pay, training, operations and medical elements. The support company usually contains anti-tank, machine gun, mortar, pioneer and reconnaissance platoons. Mechanised units usually have an attached Light Aid Detachment (LAD) of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) to perform field repairs on vehicles and equipment. A British battalion in World War II had around 845 men in it. With successive rounds of cutbacks after the war, many infantry Regiments were reduced to a single battalion (others were amalgamated to form large Regiments which maintained multiple battalions; e.g., the Royal Anglian Regiment).

Important figures in a battalion headquarters include:

Commanding Officer (CO) (invariably a Lieutenant Colonel or even a Colonel)

Second-in-Command (2IC) (usually a Major, or a Lieutenant Colonel if the battalion is commanded by a Colonel)

Adjutant (Captain or Major)

Quartermaster (QM) (Captain or Major)

Quartermaster (Technical) (QM(T))

Regimental Medical Officer (RMO) (Army Medical Services Captain or Major)

Regimental Administrative Officer (RAO) (Adjutant General's Corps Captain or Major)

Padre (Royal Army Chaplains Department Chaplain 4th or 3rd Class)

Regimental Intelligence Officer (IO) (Lieutenant or Captain)

Regimental Signals Officer (RSO) (Lieutenant or Captain)

Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) (Warrant Officer Class 1)

Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant (RQMS) (Warrant Officer Class 2)

Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant (Technical) (RQMS(T)) (Warrant Officer Class 2)

Battalions of other corps are given separate cardinal numbers within their corps (e.g., 101 Battalion REME).

Battalion group

A battalion group is a military unit based around a battalion. A typical battalion group consists of an infantry or armoured battalion with sub-units detached from other military units acting under the direct command of the battalion commander. Battalion groups may be permanent or temporary formations.

Under modern military doctrine battalion groups are being replaced by battlegroups. The key difference between battalion groups and battlegroups is that battlegroups consist of a mixture of sub-units and typically do not include all sub-units of any single battalion.

The battalion staff includes the operations officer (usually a major) who is also generally the next in command hierarchy after the battalion 2nd in command.

Armoured Infantry Battalion

HQ of 5 FV432, 2 Warrior MCRV (Mechanised Combat Repair Vehicle) and 1 Warrior MAOV (Mechanised Artillery Observation Vehicle)

4 Armoured Infantry Companies (1 Coy has only 2 pltns):

*HQ of 2 Warrior, 1 FV432 ambulance, 2 Land Rover, 1 8 ton truck, HQ and Sniper Section

*3 Platoons of 4 Warriors, Pl HQ (L9A1 51 mm Light Mortar), 3 Sections (2 L86 LSW each)

*LAD Section of 1 Warrior MCRV, 1 Warrior 512 and 1 FV432

Manoeuvre Support Company:

*HQ of 5 FV432, 2 Warrior MCRV and 1 Warrior MAOV

*Anti-Tank Platoon:

**HQ of 2 Warriors and 2 MILAN Teams

**3 Sections of 1 FV103 Spartan (HQ) 3 Warriors and 6 MILAN Teams

*Recce Platoon:

**3 Sections of 4 Sabres

*HQ ISTAR Group of 1 FV432

*Mortar Platoon:

**Pl HQ of 2 FV105 Sultan

**4 Sections of 3 FV432 with L16 81mm Mortar

**OP Section of 4 MFC teams and 4 FV103 Spartan

*CSS Detachment of 1 FV432

*Pioneer Platoon of 4 Warriors, Pl HQ (L9A1 51 mm Light Mortar), 3 Sections (2 L86 LSW each)

*LAD Section of 1 FV432, 1 FV434 "Carrier, Maintenance, Full Tracked" and 1 FV106 Samson

Canadian Army

In the Canadian Forces, most battalions are reserve units of between 100–200 soldiers that include an operationally ready, field-deployable component of approximately a half-company apiece. The nine regular force infantry battalions are each composed of four companies totalling approximately 600 soldiers. Canadian battalions are generally commanded by Lieutenant-Colonels, though smaller reserve battalions may be commanded by Majors.

Those regiments consisting of more than one battalion are:

The Royal Canadian Regiment (3 regular and 1 reserve battalions)

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (3 regular and 1 reserve battalions)

Royal 22e Régiment (3 regular and 2 reserve battalions)

The Royal New Brunswick Regiment (2 reserve battalions)

The Nova Scotia Highlanders (2 reserve battalions)

Royal Newfoundland Regiment (2 reserve battalions)

Tactically, the Canadian battalion forms the core of the infantry battle group, which also includes various supporting elements such as armour, artillery, combat engineers and combat service support. An infantry battle group will typically be commanded by the commander of the core infantry battalion around which it is formed and can range in size from 300 to 1,500 or more soldiers, depending on the nature of the mission assigned.

Colombian Army

In the Colombian Army, a battalion usually has a strength of 1,200 to 1,300 men, and is divided in companies. Normally it is commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel. Counter Insurgency Battalions are the exception as they usually have around 300 soldiers, and are commanded by a Major. Two or more battalions form a Brigade.

Battalions are numbered ordinarily and according to its speciality:

Infantry

Artillery

Engineers

Mechanized Infantry

Mountain Infantry

Counter-Insurgency

Military Police

Combat Service Support

Infrastructure Protection

Royal Netherlands Army

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Infantry: one mechanised infantry platoon usally consists out of one one command- and medical company, three mechanised infantry elements, and one support company which has 3 platoons with heavy mortars and 1 (later 3) platoon(s) with anti-tank missiles (TOW). With the Dutch artillery units the equivalent of a battalion is called an "afdeling" (which translates to "department").

Combat companies consist of (usally mechanised) infantry, combat engineers, or tanks. In the latter case the unit is called an "eskadron", which translates roughly to "squadron". There are also support battalions in the Dutch army, which specialise on specific task: for example, supplies and transport or communication.

The Netherlands have four battalions that are permanently reserved for the United Nations, for the purpose of peacekeeping duties.

An infantry battalion, logistical battalion, combat battalion, or even the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps all have a battalion structure. Each battalion usally consists of the following:

*Battalion command

**Commander

**Second in command

*General service

**Personnel section

**Inteligence section

**Opterations section

**Materiel section

**Communication section

*Command company

**Command group

**Administration group

**Medical group

**Communication group

**Supply platoon

*3 Infantry companies

*Support company

**Command group

**Recon platoon

**Mortar platoon

**Anti-tank platoon

Swiss Army

With the major reform of its Armed Forces in 2004, the Swiss Army abandoned the old regimental system and adopted a combat team approach centred on battalions as the building blocks of mission-oriented task forces. Battalion sizes vary between branches. For example, an infantry battalion has a nominal strength of 1,224 men.

United States

US Army

In the United States Army, a battalion is a unit composed of a headquarters and two or more batteries, companies or troops. They are normally identified by ordinal numbers (1st Battalion, 2nd Squadron, etc.) and normally have subordinate units that are identified by single letters (A Battery, A Company, A Troop, etc.). Battalions are tactical and administrative organizations with a limited capability to plan and conduct independent operations and are normally organic components of brigades, groups, or regiments.

A United States Army battalion includes the battalion commander (Lieutenant Colonel), his staff, and headquarters, the Command Sergeant Major (CSM), and usually 3–5 companies, with a total of 300 to 1,200 soldiers. A regiment consists of between two and six organic battalions, while a brigade consists of between three and seven separate battalions.

During World War II, most infantry regiments consisted of three battalions (a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) with each battalion consisting of four companies. That is, companies A, B, C, and D were part of the 1st battalion, companies E, F, G, and H constituted the 2nd battalion, and I, K, L, and M in the 3rd. There was no J company. [The letter J was traditionally not used because in 18th and 19th century old style type the capital letters I and J looked alike and were therefore too easily confused with one another.] It was common for a battalion to become temporarily attached to a different regiment. For example, during the confusion and high casualty rates of both the Normandy landings and the Battle of the Bulge, in order to bolster the strength of a depleted infantry regiment, companies and even battalions were moved around as necessary.

From the 1960s through the early 1980s, a typical maneuver (infantry or tank) battalion had five companies: Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) and A, B, and C Companies, plus a Combat Support Company with a scout platoon, mortar platoon and other elements that varied between organizations. These included heavy anti-tank missile platoons, ground surveillance radar sections, man portable anti-aircraft missile sections and others. Beginning in the early to mid-1980s some elements of the Combat Support Companies (the mortar and scout platoons) were merged into the Headquarters Company with the staff and support elements, others were moved to their parent type organization (ground surveillance radar and air defense), and in infantry battalions the heavy anti-tank missile platoon was organized as a separate company (Echo/E). Simultaneously, there was a fourth "type" company added (Delta/D) in most infantry and tank battalions.

In this older structure, United States Army mechanized infantry battalions and tank battalions, for tactical purposes, cross-post companies to each other, forming a battalion-sized task force (TF).

Starting in 2005–2006 with Transformation, U.S. Army mechanized and tank battalions were reorganized into Combined Arms Battalions (CABs). Tank battalions and mechanized infantry battalions no longer exist. These new combined arms battalions are modular units, each consisting of a headquarters company, two mechanized infantry companies, two armor companies, an engineer company, and a forward support company. This new structure eliminated the need to cross-post (or as it is more commonly referred to, cross-attach) companies between battalions; each combined arms battalion was organically composed of the requisite companies. At a higher level, each heavy brigade is composed of two CABs, an armored reconnaissance squadron, a fires battalion (field artillery), a special troops battalion (STB), and a brigade support battalion (BSB).

United States Marine Corps

A United States Marine Corps battalion includes the battalion headquarters, consisting of the commanding officer (usually a lieutenant colonel, sometimes a colonel), an executive officer (the second-in-command, usually a major), the Sergeant Major, and the executive staff (S-1 through S-8). The battalion headquarters is supported by a Headquarters and Service Company (Battery). A battalion usually contains 2–5 organic companies (batteries in the artillery), with a total of 500 to 1,200 Marines in the battalion. A regiment consists of a regimental headquarters, a headquarters company (or battery), and two to five organic battalions (Marine infantry regiments - three battalions of infantry; Marine artillery regiments - three to five battalions of artillery; Marine combat logistics regiments - two or more combat logistics battalions). In the US Marine Corps, the brigade designation is used only in ''Marine Expeditionary Brigade'' (MEB). A MEB is one of the standard Marine Air-Ground Task Forces (MAGTF), is commanded by a brigadier general or major general, and consists of command element, a ground combat element (usually one reinforced Marine infantry regiment), an aviation combat element (a reinforced Marine Air Group), and a service support element (a Marine Logistics group, which includes Naval Construction Force (SEABEEs) and naval medical elements).

In the U.S. Marine Corps, an infantry or ''rifle'' battalion typically consists of a Headquarters and Service Company (H&S; Co.), three rifle, or ''line'', companies (designated alphabetically A through M depending upon which battalion of the parent regiment to which they are attached) and a weapons company. Weapons companies do not receive a letter designation. Marine infantry regiments use battalion and company designations as described above under World War II, with company letters D, H, and M not normally used but rather held in "reserve" for use in augmenting a fourth rifle company into each battalion as needed.

United States Marine Corps infantry battalions are task organized into Battalion Landing Teams (BLTs) as the Ground Combat Element (GCE) of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). A "standard" U.S. Marine infantry battalion is typically supported by an artillery battery and a platoon each of tanks, amphibious assault vehicles, light armored reconnaissance vehicles, reconnaissance Marines, and combat engineers. The battalion structure is designed to readily expand to include a fourth rifle company, if required, as described above under battalion organization.

During the American Civil War, an infantry or cavalry battalion was an ad hoc grouping of companies from the parent regiment (which had ten companies, A through K, minus J as described above), except for certain regular infantry regiments, which were formally organized into three battalions of six companies each (numbered 1–6 per battalion vice sequential letter designations). After 1882, cavalry battalions were renamed squadrons and cavalry companies were renamed troops. Artillery battalions typically comprised four or more batteries, although this number fluctuated considerably.

The United States Navy has also had Construction Battalions since World War II.

See also

March battalion

Military organization

Battalion of Death

Swedish Battalion of the 17th and 18th century

References

External links

French Infantry of the Napoleonic Wars

''The Battalion Commander's Handbook'', 1996, By Major General Richard A. Chilcoat, US Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania

* Category:Military units and formations by size

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Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
{{infobox saint|name	Saint Patrick
Venerated in	Roman Catholic ChurchEastern OrthodoxyAnglican CommunionLutheran Church
Feast day	17 March (Saint Patrick's Day)
Major shrine	Glastonbury Abbey; Armagh
Patronage	Ireland, Nigeria, Montserrat, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Boston, Loíza, Murcia(Spain), engineers, paralegals, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, invoked against snakes, sins, witchcraft}}

Saint Patrick (; Primitive Irish: ''*Qatrikias''; ; ; ; British: ''*Patrikios''; ; ; ; ; c. 387 – 17 March, 493 or c 460) was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the ''Apostle of Ireland'', although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints.

Two authentic letters from him survive, from which come the only universally accepted details of his life. When he was about 16, he was captured from Wales by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After entering the Church, he returned to Ireland as an ordained bishop in the north and west of the island, but little is known about the places where he worked. By the seventh century, he had come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland.

Most available details of his life are from later hagiographies from the seventh century onwards, and these are now not accepted without detailed criticism. Uncritical acceptance of the ''Annals of Ulster'' would imply that he lived from 340 to 440, and ministered in what is modern day Northern Ireland from 428 onwards. The dates of Patrick's life cannot be fixed with certainty, but on a widespread interpretation he was active as a missionary in Ireland during the second half of the 5th century.

Saint Patrick's Day is observed on March 17, the date of Patrick's death. It is celebrated both in and outside of Ireland, as both a liturgical and non-liturgical holiday. In the dioceses of Ireland it is both a solemnity and a holy day of obligation and outside of Ireland, it can be a celebration of Ireland itself.

Background

Most modern studies of Saint Patrick follow a variant of T. F. O'Rahilly's "Two Patricks" theory. That is to say, many of the traditions later attached to Saint Patrick originally concerned Palladius, who Prosper of Aquitaine's ''Chronicle'' says was sent by Pope Celestine I as the first bishop to Irish Christians in 431. Palladius was not the only early cleric in Ireland at this time. The Irish born Saint Ciaran Saighir (the Elder) lived in the later 4th century (352–402 AD) and was the first bishop of Ossory. Ciaran the Elder along with Saints Auxilius, Secundinus and Iserninus are also associated with early churches in Munster and Leinster. By this reading, Palladius was active in Ireland until the 460s.

Prosper associates Palladius' appointment with the visits of Germanus of Auxerre to Britain to suppress the Pelagian heresy and it has been suggested that Palladius and his colleagues were sent to Ireland to ensure that exiled Pelagians did not establish themselves among the Irish Christians. The appointment of Palladius and his fellow-bishops was not obviously a mission to convert the Irish, but more probably intended to minister to existing Christian communities in Ireland. The sites of churches associated with Palladius and his colleagues are close to royal centres of the period: Secundus is remembered by Dunshaughlin, County Meath, close to the Hill of Tara which is associated with the High King of Ireland; Killashee, County Kildare, close to Naas with links with the Kings of Leinster, is probably named for Auxilius. This activity was limited to the southern half of Ireland, and there is no evidence for them in Ulster or Connacht.

Although the evidence for contacts with Gaul is clear, the borrowings from Latin into the Old Irish language show that links with former Roman Britain were many. Saint Iserninus, who appears to be of the generation of Palladius, is thought to have been a Briton, and is associated with the lands of the Uí Cheinnselaig in Leinster. The Palladian mission should not be contrasted with later "British" missions, but forms a part of them.

In his own words

Two Latin letters survive which are generally accepted to have been written by Patrick. These are the ''Declaration'' () and the ''Letter to the soldiers of Coroticus'' (). The ''Declaration'' is the more important of the two. In it Patrick gives a short account of his life and his mission.

Patrick was born in Roman Britain at Banna Venta Berniae, a location otherwise unknown. Calpornius, his father, was a deacon, his grandfather Potitus, a priest. When he was about sixteen, he was captured and carried off as a slave to Ireland. Patrick worked as a herdsman, remaining a captive for six years. He writes that his faith grew in captivity, and that he prayed daily. After six years he heard a voice telling him that he would soon go home, and then that his ship was ready. Fleeing his master, he travelled to a port, two hundred miles away he says, where he found a ship and, after various adventures, returned home to his family, now in his early twenties.

Patrick recounts that he had a vision a few years after returning home:

I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland. His name was Victoricus, and he carried many letters, and he gave me one of them. I read the heading: "The Voice of the Irish". As I began the letter, I imagined in that moment that I heard the voice of those very people who were near the wood of Foclut, which is beside the western sea—and they cried out, as with one voice: "We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us.

A. B. E. Hood suggests that the Victoricus of Patrick's vision may be identified with Saint Victricius, bishop of Rouen in the late 4th century, who was the only European churchman of the time to advocate or practice conversion of pagans, and who visited Britain in an official capacity in 396.

Much of the ''Declaration'' concerns charges made against Patrick by his fellow Christians at a trial. What these charges were, he does not say explicitly, but he writes that he returned the gifts which wealthy women gave him, did not accept payment for baptisms, nor for ordaining priests, and indeed paid for many gifts to kings and judges, and paid for the sons of chiefs to accompany him. It is concluded, therefore, that he was accused of some sort of financial impropriety, and perhaps of having obtained his bishopric in Ireland with personal gain in mind.

From this same evidence, something can be seen of Patrick's mission. He writes that he "baptised thousands of people". He ordained priests to lead the new Christian communities. He converted wealthy women, some of whom became nuns in the face of family opposition. He also dealt with the sons of kings, converting them too.

Patrick's position as a foreigner in Ireland was not an easy one. His refusal to accept gifts from kings placed him outside the normal ties of kinship, fosterage and affinity. Legally he was without protection, and he says that he was on one occasion beaten, robbed of all he had, and put in chains, perhaps awaiting execution.

Murchiú's life of Saint Patrick contains a supposed prophecy by the druids which gives an impression of how Patrick and other Christian missionaries were seen by those hostile to them: :Across the sea will come Adze-head, crazed in the head, his cloak with hole for the head, his stick bent in the head.He will chant impieties from a table in the front of his house; all his people will answer: "so be it, so be it."

The second piece of evidence that comes from Patrick's life is the ''Letter to Coroticus'' or ''Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus'', written after a first remonstrance was received with ridicule and insult. In this, Patrick writes an open letter announcing that he has excommunicated Coroticus because he had taken some of Patrick's converts into slavery while raiding in Ireland. The letter describes the followers of Coroticus as "fellow citizens of the devils" and "associates of the Scots [ie, the Irish of Argyll and northern Ireland] and Apostate Picts". Based largely on an 8th-century gloss, Coroticus is taken to be King Ceretic of Alt Clut. It has been suggested that it was the sending of this letter which provoked the trial which Patrick mentions in the ''Confession''.

Death

According to the latest reconstruction of the old Irish annals, Patrick died in AD 493 on March 17, a date accepted by some modern historians. Prior to the 1940s it was believed without doubt that he died in 420 and thus had lived in the first half of the 5th century. A lecture entitled ''"The Two Patricks"'', published in 1942 by T. F. O'Rahilly, caused enormous controversy by proposing that there had been two "Patricks", Palladius and Patrick, and that what we now know of St. Patrick was in fact in part a conscious effort to blend the two into one hagiographic personality. Decades of contention eventually ended with most historians now asserting that Patrick was indeed most likely to have been active in the latter half of the fifth century.

While Patrick's own writings contain no dates, they do contain information which can be used to date them. Patrick's quotations from the Acts of the Apostles follow the Vulgate, strongly suggesting that his ecclesiastical conversion did not take place before the early 5th century. Patrick also refers to the Franks as being pagans. Their conversion is dated to the period 496–508.

There is plentiful evidence for a medieval tradition that Patrick had died in 493. An addition to the Annals of Ulster states that in the year 553 (approximately two hundred and fifty years before the addition was made):

I have found this in the Book of Cuanu: The relics of Patrick were placed sixty years after his death in a shrine by Colum Cille. Three splendid halidoms were found in the burial-place: his goblet, the Angel's Gospel, and the Bell of the Testament. This is how the angel distributed the halidoms: the goblet to Dún, the Bell of the Testament to Ard Macha, and the Angel's Gospel to Colum Cille himself. The reason it is called the Angel's Gospel is that Colum Cille received it from the hand of the angel.

thumb|The reputed burial place of St. Patrick in Downpatrick The placing of this event in the year 553 indicate a tradition that Patrick's death was 493, or at least in the early years of that decade, and the Annals of Ulster report under 493:

Patrick, arch-apostle, or archbishop and apostle of the Irish, rested on the 16th of the Kalends of April in the 120th year of his age, in the 60th year after he had come to Ireland to baptise the Irish.

This tradition is also seen in an annalistic reference to the death of a saint termed Patrick's disciple, Mochta, who is said to have died in 535.

St. Patrick is said to be buried at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, County Down, alongside St. Brigid and St. Columba, although this has never been proven. The Battle for the Body of St. Patrick demonstrates the importance of both him as a spiritual leader, and of his body as an object of veneration, in early Christian Ireland. Saint Patrick Visitor Centre is a modern exhibition complex located in Downpatrick and is a permanent interpretative exhibition centre featuring interactive displays on the life and story of Saint Patrick. It provides the only permanent exhibition centre in the world devoted to Saint Patrick.

Seventh-century writings

An early document which is silent concerning Patrick is the letter of Columbanus to Pope Boniface IV of about 613. Columbanus writes that Ireland's Christianity "was first handed to us by you, the successors of the holy apostles", apparently referring to Palladius only, and ignoring Patrick. Writing on the Easter controversy in 632 or 633, Cummian—it is uncertain whether this is the Cummian associated with Clonfert or Cumméne of Iona—does refer to Patrick, calling him ''our papa'', that is pope or primate.

Two works by late seventh-century hagiographers of Patrick have survived. These are the writings of Tírechán, and ''Vita sancti Patricii'' of Muirchu moccu Machtheni. Both writers relied upon an earlier work, now lost, the ''Book of Ultán''. This Ultán, probably the same person as Ultan of Ardbraccan, was Tírechán's foster-father. His obituary is given in the ''Annals of Ulster'' under the year 657. These works thus date from a century and a half after Patrick's death.

Tírechán writes

"I found four names for Patrick written in the book of Ultán, bishop of the tribe of Conchobar: holy ''Magonus'' (that is, "famous"); ''Succetus'' (that is, the god of war); ''Patricius'' (that is, father of the citizens); ''Cothirtiacus'' (because he served four houses of druids)."

Muirchu records much the same information, adding that "[h]is mother was named Concessa." The name ''Cothirtiacus'', however, is simply the Latinized form of Old Irish ''Cothraige'', which is the Q-Celtic form of Latin ''Patricius''.

The Patrick portrayed by Tírechán and Muirchu is a martial figure, who contests with druids, overthrows pagan idols, and curses kings and kingdoms. On occasion, their accounts contradict Patrick's own writings: Tírechán states that Patrick accepted gifts from female converts although Patrick himself flatly denies this. However, the emphasis Tírechán and Muirchu placed on female converts, and in particular royal and noble women who became nuns, is thought to be a genuine insight into Patrick's work of conversion. Patrick also worked with the unfree and the poor, encouraging them to vows of monastic chastity. Tírechán's account suggests that many early Patrician churches were combined with nunneries founded by Patrick's noble female converts.

The martial Patrick found in Tírechán and Muirchu, and in later accounts, echoes similar figures found during the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity. It may be doubted whether such accounts are an accurate representation of Patrick's time, although such violent events may well have occurred as Christians gained in strength and numbers.

Much of the detail supplied by Tírechán and Muirchu, in particular the churches established by Patrick, and the monasteries founded by his converts, may relate to the situation in the 7th century, when the churches which claimed ties to Patrick, and in particular Armagh, were expanding their influence throughout Ireland in competition with the church of Kildare. In the same period, Wilfred, Archbishop of York, claimed to speak, as metropolitan archbishop, "for all the northern part of Britain and of Ireland" at a council held in Rome in the time of Pope Agatho, thus claiming jurisdiction over the Irish church.

Other presumed early materials include the Irish annals, which contain records from the Chronicle of Ireland. These sources have conflated Palladius and Patrick. Another early document is the so-called ''First Synod of Saint Patrick''. This is a seventh-century document, once, but no longer, taken as to contain a 5th century original text. It apparently collects the results of several early synods, and represents an era when pagans were still a major force in Ireland. The introduction attributes it to Patrick, Auxilius, and Iserninus, a claim which "cannot be taken at face value."

In legend

St. Patrick banishes all snakes from Ireland

Pious legend credits St. Patrick with banishing snakes from the island, chasing them into the sea after they assailed him during a 40-day fast he was undertaking on top of a hill,. This hagiographic theme draws on the mythography of the staff of Moses, messenger of Yahweh to gentile Egyptians. In , Moses and Aaron use their staffs in their struggle with Pharaoh's sorcerers, the staffs of each side morphing into snakes. Aaron's snake-staff prevails.

However, all evidence suggests that post-glacial Ireland never had snakes, as on insular "Ireland, New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland, and Antarctica...So far, no serpent has successfully migrated across the open ocean to a new terrestrial home" such as from Scotland on the mainland of the neighboring island of Britain, where a few native species have lived, "the venomous adder, the grass snake, and the smooth snake," as National Geographic notes, and although sea snake species separately exist. "At no time has there ever been any suggestion of snakes in Ireland, so [there was] nothing for St. Patrick to banish," says naturalist Nigel Monaghan, keeper of natural history at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin, who has searched extensively through Irish fossil collections and records. The List of reptiles of Ireland has only one land reptile species native to Ireland, the viviparous or common lizard.

The only biological candidate species for appearing like a native snake in Ireland is the slow worm, actually a legless lizard, a non-native species more recently found in The Burren region of County Clare as recorded since the early 1970s, as noted by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of Ireland, which suspects it was deliberately introduced in the 1960s. So far, the slow worm's territory in the wild has not spread beyond the Burren's limestone region which is rich in wildlife.

One suggestion is that ''snakes'' referred to the serpent symbolism of the Druids during that time and place, as exampled on coins minted in Gaul (see Carnutes). Chris Weigant connects "Big tattoos of snakes" on Druids' arms as "Irish schoolchildren are taught" with the way in which, in the legend of St. Patrick banishishing snakes, the "story goes to the core of Patrick's sainthood and his core mission in Ireland."

St. Patrick uses shamrock in an illustrative parable

Legend (dating to 1726, according to the OED) also credits St. Patrick with teaching the Irish about the doctrine of the Holy Trinity by showing people the shamrock, a three-leafed clover, using it to illustrate the Christian teaching of 'three divine persons in the one God.' For this reason, shamrocks have definitely become a central symbol for St Patrick’s Day.

Nevertheless, the shamrock was also seen as sacred in the pre-Christian days in Ireland. Due to its green color and overall shape, many viewed it as representing rebirth and eternal life. The number three was sacred to the Morrigan, the "Triple Goddess" of ancient Ireland, most commonly identified as the "Badb", "Macha", and "Nemain".

St. Patrick's dead ash wood walking stick grows into a living tree

Some Irish legends involve the Oilliphéist, the Caoránach, and the Copóg Phádraig. During his evangelising journey back to Ireland from his parent's home at Birdoswald, he is understood to have carried with him an ash wood walking stick or staff. He thrust this stick into the ground wherever he was evangelising and at the place now known as Aspatria (ash of Patrick) the message of the dogma took so long to get through to the people there that the stick had taken root by the time he was ready to move on.

St. Patrick speaks with ancient Irish ancestors who were born long before his time

The 12th century work ''Acallam na Senórach'' tells of Patrick being met by two ancient warriors, Caílte mac Rónáin and Oisín, during his evangelical travels. The two were once members of Fionn mac Cumhaill's warrior band the Fianna, and somehow survived to Patrick's time.

Saint Patrick's Bell

The National Museum of Ireland, in Dublin possesses a bell first mentioned, according to the Annals of Ulster, in the Book of Cuanu in the year 552. The bell was part of a collection of "relics of Patrick" robbed from his tomb sixty years after his death by Colum Cille to be placed in a shrine. The bell is described as "The Bell of the Testament", one of three relics of "precious minna" (extremely valuable items), of which the other two are described as Patrick's goblet and "The Angels Gospel". Cille is described to have been under the direction of an "Angel" for whom he sent the goblet to Down, the bell to Armagh, and kept possession of the Angels Gospel for himself. The name Angels Gospel is given to the book because it was supposed that Cille received it from the angel's hand. A stir was caused in 1044 when two kings, in some dispute over the bell, went on spates of prisoner taking and cattle theft. The annals make one more apparent reference to the bell when chronicling a death, of 1356, "Solomon Ua Mellain, The Keeper of The Bell of the Testament, protector, rested in Christ." As a museum exhibit, the bell is accompanied by a shrine in which it was encased for King Domnall Ua Lochlainn sometime between 1091 and 1105. The shrine is a sparkling example of fine jewellry. Intricate and delicate Celtic design has been worked in gold and silver over every surface except where encrusted with large precious stones. The Bell was inscribed in Gaelic: "U INMAINEN" (which translates to: NOONAN) "who with his sons enriched/decorated it" (metal work was often inscribed for remembrance).

Although today one or two of the jewels are missing as well as some of the panels of Celtic artwork, full appreciation of the shrine's workmanship is unaffected and it is kept, along with Patrick's Bell, in glittering condition by the National Museum as a priceless national treasure. The bell itself is simple in design, hammered into shape with a small handle fixed to the top with rivets. Originally forged from iron, it has since been coated in bronze. The shrine is inscribed with three names, including King Domnall Ua Lochlainn's. The rear of the shrine, not intended to be seen, is decorated with crosses while the handle is decorated with, among other work, Celtic designs of birds. The bell is accredited with working a miracle in 1044 and having been coated in bronze to shield it from human eyes, for which it would be too holy. It measures 12.5 × 10 cm at the base, 12.8 × 4 cm at the shoulder, 16.5 cm from base to shoulder, 3.3 cm from shoulder to top of handle and weighs 1.7 kg.

Patrick's Bell and shrine were featured on RTE's the Late Late Show, the world's longest-running talk show, in March 2008 along with part of the 2000-year-old Broighter Hoard to mark celebrations for St Patrick's Day.

Sainthood and modern remembrance

thumb|175px|The neo-gothic [[St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York|St Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, as seen from Rockefeller Center.]] March 17, popularly known as St. Patrick's Day, is believed to be his death date and is the date celebrated as his feast day. The day became a feast day in the universal church due to the influence of the Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding, as a member of the commission for the reform of the Breviary in the early part of the 17th century.

For most of Christianity's first thousand years, canonisations were done on the diocesan or regional level. Relatively soon after the death of people considered to be very holy people, the local Church affirmed that they could be liturgically celebrated as saints. As a result, St. Patrick has never been formally canonised by a Pope; nevertheless, various Christian churches declare that he is a Saint in Heaven (he is in the List of Saints). He is still widely venerated in Ireland and elsewhere today.

St. Patrick is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on March 17. St. Patrick is also venerated in the Orthodox Church, especially among English-speaking Orthodox Christians living in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland and in North America. There are Orthodox icons dedicated to him.

Places associated with Saint Patrick

Slemish, County Antrim and Killala Bay, County Mayo

:When captured by raiders, there are two theories as to where Patrick was enslaved. One theory is that he herded sheep in the countryside around Slemish. Another theory is that Patrick herded sheep near Killala Bay, at a place called Fochill.

Saul, County Down () :It is claimed that Patrick founded his first church in a barn at Saul, which was donated to him by a local chieftain called Dichu. It is also claimed that Patrick died at Saul or was brought there between his death and burial. Nearby, on the crest of Slieve Patrick, is a huge statue of Saint Patrick with bronze panels showing scenes from his life.

Hill of Slane, County Meath

:Muirchu moccu Machtheni, in his highly mythologized 7th century ''Life of Patrick'', says that Patrick lit a Paschal fire on this hilltop in 433 CE in defiance of High King Laoire. The story says that the fire could not be doused by anyone but Patrick, and it was here that he explained the holy trinity using the shamrock.

Croagh Patrick, County Mayo () :It is claimed that Patrick climbed this mountain and fasted on its summit for the forty days of Lent. Croagh Patrick draws thousands of pilgrims who make the trek to the top on the last Sunday in July.

Lough Derg, County Donegal () :It is claimed that Patrick killed a large serpent on this lake and that its blood turned the water red (hence the name). Each August, pilgrims spend three days fasting and praying there on Station Island.

Armagh, County Armagh

:It is claimed that Patrick founded a church here and proclaimed it to be the most holy church in Ireland. Armagh is today the primary seat of both the Catholic and Protestant Churches in Ireland and both cathedrals in the town are named after Patrick.

Downpatrick, County Down () :It is claimed that Patrick was brought here after his death and buried in the grounds of Down Cathedral.

Other places named after Saint Patrick include: Ardpatrick, County Limerick () Patrickswell or Toberpatrick, County Limerick ()

St Patrick's Island, County Dublin

St Patrick's Isle, off the Isle of Man

Llanbadrig on the island of Anglesey in Wales

Templepatrick, County Antrim ()

In literature

Robert Southey wrote a ballad called ''Saint Patrick's Purgatory'', based on popular legends surrounding the saint's on yes name. Stephen R. Lawhead also wrote the fictional ''Patrick: Son of Ireland'' based on the life of the celebrated Saint.

Dutch/Scottish singer Chris Anderson wrote a poem called "Saint Patrick's Lament", based on the Saint's remembrance festival Saint Patrick's Day.

See also

Croagh Patrick

St Patrick's Purgatory

Saint Patrick's Flag

St. Patrick's blue

References

Further reading

External links

Writings of Saint Patrick

The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick, edited by James O'Leary, 1880, from Project Gutenberg.

BBC: Religion & Ethics, Christianity: Saint Patrick (Incl. audio)

Opera Omnia by Migne Patristica Latina with analytical indexes

Oase Sankt Patrick

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts at University College Cork includes Patrick's ''Confessio'' and ''Epistola'', as well as various lives of Saint Patrick.

Category:4th-century births Category:5th-century deaths Category:4th-century Irish people Category:5th-century Irish people Category:5th-century Christian saints Category:5th-century bishops Category:Anglican saints Category:Christian folklore Category:Christian missionaries in Ireland Category:Eastern Orthodox saints Category:People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar Category:Irish bishops Category:Irish folklore Category:Irish Roman Catholic saints Category:Irish slaves Category:Medieval Irish saints Category:Northern Brythonic saints Category:Romano-British saints Category:Wonderworkers Category:5th-century writers Category:Medieval legends Category:Celtic Christian bishops Category:Irish saints Category:Medieval Irish writers Category:Medieval legends Category:Monomyths Category:Holiday characters

ar:القديس باتريك br:Padrig (sant) bg:Свети Патрик ca:Patrici d'Irlanda cs:Svatý Patrik cy:Sant Padrig da:Skt. Patrick de:Patrick von Irland et:Patrick el:Άγιος Πατρίκιος es:Patricio de Irlanda eo:Sankta Patriko eu:San Patrizio fo:Sankta Pátrikur fr:Patrick d'Irlande ga:Naomh Pádraig gd:Naomh Pàdraig gl:Patricio de Irlanda ko:성 파트리치오 hr:Sveti Patrik id:Patrick (santo) it:Patrizio d'Irlanda he:פטריק הקדוש ka:წმინდა პატრიკი la:Patricius (sanctus) lt:Šv. Patrikas nl:Patricius ja:パトリキウス no:Patrick av Irland pl:Święty Patryk pt:São Patrício ro:Sfântul Patriciu ru:Святой Патрик sc:Patritziu simple:Saint Patrick sk:Svätý Patrik sl:Sveti Patrik sr:Свети Патрик sh:Sveti Patrik fi:Pyhä Patrick sv:Patrick tl:Patricio ng Irlanda uk:Святий Патрик war:Patricio han Irlanda zh:圣巴特利爵

Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
name	David Rovics
background	solo_singer
origin	New York City, New York, U.S.
genre	Folk
years active	1992–present
associated acts	Attila the StockbrokerJim PageRobb Johnson
website	http://www.davidrovics.com }}

David Rovics (born April 10, 1967) is an American indie singer/songwriter. His music concerns topical subjects such as the 2003 Iraq war, anti-globalization and social justice issues. Rovics has been an outspoken critic of former President George W. Bush, the Republican Party, John Kerry, and the Democratic Party.

Rovics is critical of the United States government's policies and claims that the "U.S. government's foreign policy represents U.S. corporate interests" and that "the U.S. government does not like democracy either at home or abroad."

Although most of Rovics' work is commercially distributed, Rovics has made all of his recorded music freely available as downloadable mp3 files. He encourages the free distribution of his work by all non-profit means to promote his work and spread political messages, and speaks out against websites or programs like iTunes that charge money for downloading his songs. Rovics has also advocated the performing of his songs at protests and demonstrations and has made his sheet music and lyrics available for download.

Biography

David Rovics was born in New York City. His family moved to Wilton, Connecticut when he was young. Rovics was politically inspired during his adolescence by his experiences with the conservative-oriented, Christian milieu of his home town. His parents, both classical musicians and educators, were liberal in their outlook. Perhaps for this reason, While in his teens Rovics acquired interests in nuclear disarmament, vegetarianism and other counterculture issues. Rovics is ethnically Jewish and an atheist.

In 1985, Rovics enrolled at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana but dropped out and moved to Berkeley, California. He worked in varied occupations, including as a cook, barista, secretary and typist, while pursuing his musical interests as a street and subway performer and in small clubs and bars. He immersed himself in leftist counterculture and made contact with other songwriters and performers on the underground circuit.

By the early 1990s he was a full-time busker in the Boston subways.

On May 1, 1993, Rovics was involved in a traumatic incident in which a close friend was shot dead after intervening in a gang shoot-out. This was a turning point in his life, forcing him to concentrate on his songwriting career, initially as a means of dealing with the grief over his friend's death. He had already amassed a fair collection of lyrics and songs by that time, but his own admission, his compositions prior to this time were inferior and "preachy," and none were used in his later albums.

From around the mid 1990s, Rovics has spent most of his time on concert tours around the world. In 1996 he self-released his first album, ''Make It So'', which consisted mostly of covers of other artists’ songs. He released his second cover album in 1998. He produced a series of five original song albums between 1998 and 2003 as self-released titles. The album ''Who Would Jesus Bomb?'' was entirely distributed in mp3 format over the Internet and had no commercial release, although it was included in a later "best of" album.

Rovics is a Wobbly- a member of the Industrial Workers of the World. “In that Wobbly tradition of sharp social commentary, David is a master.” — The Industrial Worker.

In 2003 Rovics signed up to Ever Reviled Records and produced a studio album, ''Return''. Later that year, he released ''Behind The Barricades: The Best Of David Rovics'' in association with AK Press, including titles from his earlier self-releases which met with minimal commercial success. He has since released the Songs for Mahmud album as a self-release in association with Ever Reviled Records. Despite being the sole performer in most of his work, he usually describes himself only as a songwriter.

Although Rovics' work has never met with great commercial success, it has been acclaimed in sections of the press and continues to be popular with a small yet widespread base of fans with similar political interests, as well as supporters of internet file sharing.

Rovics tours regularly on four continents, playing for audiences large and small at cafes, pubs, universities, churches, union halls and protest rallies. He has had his music featured on Democracy Now!, BBC, Al-Jazzeera, Acik Radyo and other networks. His essays are published regularly on CounterPunch and Truthout and the 200+ songs he makes available on the web have been downloaded more than a million times.

He currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his family and has a daughter, Leila, who was born in 2006.

Political activism

In an interview article with the Baltimore Independent Media Center entitled ''“Inspiring the Troops” Through Music'', Rovics said:

"...when I first started writing any songs that were any good I had already become very much involved with activism and wanting to talk about what was happening in the world. But when I first started writing songs, I wasn’t writing political songs..."

"I say, that I’m not really hardly at all involved with the folk music scene and I don’t play for the folk music audiences so much and shows don’t get booked by the folk music presenters. Everything I’m doing pretty much in the activist scene. I find that when folk music aficionados come to my shows that they usually like it. I think I could be doing fine in the folk scene if there was enough interest there for more people to be booking shows. The interest in the kind of music I’m doing is almost entirely in the activist scene, which is fine..."

"If you look at it – take a real cursory glance of the world around you we see that pretty much every institution out there uses music in one way or another. Every corporation uses music to sell their products. The military uses music to inspire their troops. I use music for my troops. It’s the same basic function that music is playing. You know, even from a capitalist perspective you could say it’s used to sell products and to foster – in the military for example, that people are working together – that they’re part of the same thing, that they’re sticking up for each other. That’s what we’re using music at marches and rallies. It’s to inspire the troops. And in other settings it’s to educate people about things that are happening and to talk about it in a way that hopefully might be more memorable than a speech..."

"Yes, to communicate to people on an emotional level. And perhaps even a spiritual level and reach them in a way that people don’t often get reached by other means. And it’s just one of many means of communication, but I think it’s an important one and when we have events, whether they’re protests or educational events or whatever, the events that have music and food at them are so much different from the ones that don’t. Everyone, whether or not they’re conscious of why they come out of those events inspired and feeling like they’ve learned something and they’re going to do something with that knowledge – that’s the difference between even a really good speaker, they’re still – are not really pessimistic but good educational optimistic speaker – there’s still something missing compared to when you hear that speaker and you sing a few songs before or after – preferably after I think because then you leave on a feeling on more togetherness and optimism even when the songs are not particularly optimistic. There’s something about music that makes people feel optimistic..."

Opinions on file sharing

David Rovics supports file sharing of his own work. "Feel free to download these songs. Use them for whatever purpose. Send them to friends, burn them, copy them, play them on the radio, on the internet, wherever. Music is the Commons. Ignore the corporate music industry shills who tell you otherwise. Downloading music is not theft, you're not hurting anyone, I promise. (And in any case, yes, this is legal, and I'm making all of these songs available myself.)"

Discography

Make It So (Self-release, 1996)

Pay Day at Coal Creek (Self-release, 1998)

We Just Want the World (Self-release, 1998)

Live At Club Passim (Self-release, 2000)

Living In These Times (Self-release, 2001)

Hang A Flag In The Window (Self-release, 2002)

Who Would Jesus Bomb? (Self-release, 2003)

Return (Ever Reviled Records, 2003)

Behind the Barricades, the Best of David Rovics (AK Press/Daemon Records 2003)

Songs for Mahmud (Ever Reviled Records, 2004)

Beyond The Mall (Self-release, 2004)

For the Moment (Yoyo Records, 2005)

Waiting For The Fall (Self-release, 2005)

Halliburton Boardroom Massacre (MI5 Records/Caroline Distribution, 2006)

The Commons (Irregular Records, 2007) Recorded live at Club Passim

Ten Thousand Miles Away (Self-release, 2009)

Waiting for the Fall - A Retrospective (Self-release, 2009)

Troubador: People's History in Song (self-release, 2010)

Ten New Songs (self-release, 2010)

Big Red Sessions (Liberation Records, 2011)

Ten New Songs (Liberation Records, 2011)

Children's Albums

Har Har Har! Pirate Songs for Kids (CD Baby.Com/Indys, 2008)

Ballad of a Dung Beetle (2011)

Interviews

The Progressive - Interview with Matthew Rothschild, editor of Progressive Magazine and host of Progressive Radio, October 2006

The Jason Crane Show (mp3 file) - September 2006

ZNet - ''The Soundtrack to Protest: An interview with David Rovics'' by Matt Dineen, September 2006

Alternate Music Press - June, 2006

Port Townsend, Washington - Me and Attila the Stockbroker from early March, 2006

Climate Change Rally in London, England - December 2005

Toward Freedom - ''Radical Folk Music: An Interview with David Rovics'' by Matt Dineen, August 2005

Infoshop News - April 2005

Lone Star Iconoclast - ''Beyond the Mall'', March 2005

Free Speech Radio News - by Stefan Christoff that was broadcast on CKUT in Montreal, September 2003

CHRY Toronto - by Tom, September 2003

Baltimore IMC - ''"Inspiring the Troops" Through Music'', November 2002

Boston Indymedia - Willimantic, Connecticut, August 2002

KUNM - New Mexico public radio, very well done, January 2002

Free Radio Burlington - Me and Jim Page, December 2001

DC Indymedia - During the IMF/anti-war protests at that time (unedited, sound quality varies), September 2001

Robots and Electronic Brains - March 1999

See also

Boxcar Betty

Industrial Workers of the World

References

Further reading

The Spectator: Musician David Rovics uses music as a way of protesting social problems

Democracy Now: David Rovics Pays Tribute to Fellow Musician and Friend Brad Will

Vive le Canada: Political folk musician David Rovics brings “songs of social significance” to Halifax

External links

Official website. Additional information, huge collection of free mp3s, sheet music and links.

David Rovics' Pirate Song Chest for Kids

Ever Reviled Records: David Rovics. Label news & tour dates.

David Rovics collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive

David Rovics' Blog

Internet Radio Interview with David Rovics

David Rovics SoundClick Page

Category:American male singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American anarchists Category:American folk singers Category:American anti-war activists Category:American atheists Category:American singers Category:People from New York City Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Industrial Workers of the World members Category:American bloggers Category:Anarchist musicians Category:Earlham College alumni Category:Daemon Records artists Category:American people of Jewish descent

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