Erdington Conservatives wishes everyone a Happy St Patrick's Day. We hope you have a safe day and enjoy any celebrations you are holding/ or visiting.

St. Patrick’s Day facts:

• At the age of about 16, St. Patrick was carried away by a band of Irish raiders to work as a shepherd.
• In AD 432, he was made Bishop of Ireland.
• It was while at the monastery of St Martin in Auxerre (France) that Patrick is said to have “the voice of the Irish” come to him.
• St. Patrick was the first to spread Christianity widely across Ireland, although it had been introduced earlier.
• Legend has it that he called all the snakes in Ireland together, placed them in a box and threw it in the sea. This is said to be the reason why there are no snakes in Ireland today, and the Irish Sea is so rough. However, it is likely there never were any snakes and this refers to the serpent images, often used by pagans, being banished from Ireland.