St patrick biography snakes on a plane

Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Patrick is the principal patron saint of Ireland. Living in the late s, he is considered the founder of Christianity in […]. Living in the late s, he is considered the founder of Christianity in Ireland.

When was st patrick born

While on a day fast on the top of a hill, he was purportedly attacked by snakes, so he drove them all off a cliff and into the sea. Ireland has never had any snakes, at least not in modern times. No fossil evidence exists that snakes ever existed on the island, and certainly none have been there during the period of human habitation. During the last ice age, the environment of the entire northern European continent was too cold for any reptiles.

When the glaciers melted, both England and Ireland were connected to Europe by a land bridge, which allowed many species to re-colonize the islands. Species like bears, wild boars and lynx made it back to both islands, and three snake species even made it to England. But the land bridge between England and Ireland went underwater relatively quickly, ending any continued easy invasion of Ireland by land animals.