6B ❚ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY LIFE
Christians around the world cele-
brate St. Patrick each March 17 on the
holiday named for him, honoring the
man credited with bringing Christianity
to Ireland.
Many more enjoy the festive St. Pat-
rick’s Day, known for its libations, pa-
rades (mostly canceled this year be-
cause of the coronavirus outbreak) and
green color scheme. But few know the
true pious man, incorrectly credited
with deeds such as casting the snakes
out of Ireland.
The new docudrama “I Am Patrick,”
in theaters nationwide March 17 and 18
via Fathom Events, features “Lord of the
Rings” star John Rhys-Davies reenact-
ing moments in Patrick’s life, along with
historians breaking down the legend.
“Even Irish people are beginning to
forget the real story of St. Patrick and
what we are celebrating on St. Patrick’s
Day,” says the Rev. Billy Swan, a priest
with the Diocese of Ferns, Ireland, and
one of the film’s expert voices. “There
are costumes, green beers and green riv-
ers, which are a testimony to his univer-
sal appeal, But we need to go back to the
real story of this man’s life.”
Here are five things you probably
didn’t know about the true St. Patrick.
Patrick was British, not Irish
The patron saint of Ireland was born
to a deacon and tax collector sometime
in the fifth century. He was kidnapped
at age 16 by marauders and forced into
slavery in Ireland. After six years, Pat-
rick made the rare escape from slavery
and eventually found his way home to
his family in Britain.
Inspired by a powerful dream after he
became a bishop in the Catholic Church,
Patrick returned to Ireland on a danger-
ous missionary quest, baptizing thou-
sands and building churches around the
country he adopted as home.
“He identifies himself as Irish later
on, but he was actually born in Britain,”
says Swan. “But St. Patrick transcends
boundaries; he belongs to the world.”Patrick didn’t rock the shamrock
with which he is associatedThe shamrock is the prevailing St.
Patrick Day symbol. Legend suggests
Patrick used the three-leaf clover during
his sermons to Irish converts to explain
the Holy Trinity.
“Patrick does not mention sham-
rocks in his own writing,” says Swan.
“This was an embellishment that came
later.”
Professor Charles Doherty, a retired
senior lecturer in early Irish history at
University College Dublin, says the cultaround St. Patrick began to add to the
legend two centuries later. By the 18th
century, the man’s story was interwo-
ven with the shamrock, a symbol of
Irish national pride. By the 19th century,
St. Patrick was frequently shown in
Irish churches’ stained glass windows
holding the green shamrock, a connec-
tion that remains today.Patrick didn’t expel
the snakes from IrelandPatrick is often portrayed trampling
snakes in artwork and is credited with
casting the reptiles from the Emerald Is-
le into the sea after they disturbed him
during a 40-day fast. It’s true that there
are no indigenous snakes in Ireland. But
this wasn’t Patrick’s doing; he never
mentioned snakes nor this seemingly
major feat in his writings. Further, sci-
entists have no fossil evidence that
snakes ever existed in Ireland.
It’s an effective allegory about Pat-rick’s role in casting evil from Ireland
with his missionary work, says Doherty.
“The casting of the snakes legend
really highlights the emergence of Pat-
rick as a mythologized character,” he
says.Patrick revealed his story,
and his fire, in two lettersMuch of what we truly know about
Patrick comes from the man himself
from two letters he wrote later in life –
the autobiographical “Confessio” and
the fiery “Letter to the Soldiers of Corot-
icus,” two of the oldest written docu-
ments in Irish history.
“To historians, Patrick is the last
voice from the ancient Roman world,”
says Doherty.
The “Confessio” details much of his
life, including his enslavement, starting
with “My Name Is Patrick,” much like
the film’s title. The Coroticus letter exco-
riated a British soldier and his troops,
whom Patrick excommunicated for en-
slaving newly Christianized Irish.
“His writings show him to be very
humble; Patrick saw himself as an in-
strument of God,” says Doherty. “But he
was also one tough cookie.”Patrick is not officially a saintPatrick died on March 17 in what his-
torians believe was 492 or 493 in Saul,
Ireland, where he had built his first
church. Patrick is a saint only in name,
never canonized by the Catholic
Church, a process that did not begin un-
til the 12th century.
“He is a saint kind of by popular ac-
claim and for his reputation of holi-
ness,” says Swan. “Neither is Peter offi-
cially canonized by the church, but ev-
eryone knows him as St. Peter.”MOVIES
Film fact-checks the real St. Patrick
Bryan Alexander
USA TODAY
Robert McCormack stars as young Patrick in “I Am Patrick,” a docudrama that
gets at the truth behind the legends. FATHOM EVENTS12-year-old wishes to be big and a mag-
ical carnival machine grants it. Hanks
sells the sweet (playing “Heart and
Soul” with his feet on a giant keyboard),
the sublime (eating baby corn at a din-
ner party) and the somewhat serious
(dating Elizabeth Perkins) until Josh fig-
ures out he’d rather just be a kid again.
‘Cast Away’ (2000)
It’s all Hanks, all the time in the sur-
vival drama: Most of the two hours-plus
running time is spent watching the ac-
tor by himself on an island, playing a Fe-
dEx guy who gets stranded after his
plane crashes. Hanks’ main character
grows a beard, goes a little crazy, be-
friends a volleyball (named Wilson, ob-
viously) but never gives up. An ode to
the human condition, for sure, and one
where Hanks lends heaps of humanity.
‘Forrest Gump’ (1994)
It won an Oscar for best picture (and
maybe shouldn’t have). It spawned a
seafood restaurant and so many Inter-
net memes. The thing is, though, what
keeps “Gump” from being complete ub-
er-saccharine hokum is Hanks as the
lovable main character who listens to
his mama (Sally Field) and is utterly de-
voted to his Jenny (Robin Wright). We
see American history through his expe-
rience, but Forrest has a lot to teach us
about kindness, love, family and life
(which, as we all know, is totally like a
box of chocolates.)
‘Larry Crowne’ (2011)
An underrated film in the impressive
Hanks-ography, “Crowne” is a dramedy
he also directed that taps into a lot of
modern themes, from emotional tur-
moil brought on by sudden unemploy-
ment to an older generation reinventing
itself for a new chapter in life. Hanks is
the title boomer, a divorced veteran laid
off from his job at a big-box store who
finds himself with limited opportunities
without a college education, while Julia
Roberts is the speech professor (and
love interest) with her own issues who’s
part of Larry’s rebirth.
‘A League of Their Own’ (1992)
Hanks is very much a supporting
player in Penny Marshall’s sports-
movie ode to the first women’s profes-
sional baseball league, with Geena Da-
vis taking the lead in a story of female
identity in the wake of World War II. As
alcoholic former all-star and new Rock-
ford Peaches manager Jimmy Dugan,
Hanks is the crass, somewhat sexist
comic relief (“There’s no crying in base-
ball!”) who comes around as both his
players’ friend and fan yet also as an
emotional rock in tragic times.‘Saving Mr. Banks’ (2013)The dramedy digs into the backstory
behind “Mary Poppins” and how per-
snickety author P.L. Travers (Emma
Thompson) was wooed to sign off on an
adaptation by none other than Walt Dis-
ney (Hanks) himself. While it’s a hoot
seeing Disney the ultimate business-
man showing off Disneyland and his
Mickey Mouse efforts to a disinterested
Travers, the hard sell shifts to kindness
and understanding as the two have a
heartfelt conversation about what
“Poppins” is really about.‘The Terminal’ (2004)The Steven Spielberg film is more
than 15 years old yet feels timely in to-day’s travel and immigration discus-
sion. Hanks is a traveler from the fic-
tional Eastern European country of
Krakozhia who lands at New York’s
JFK airport and gets stuck there,
thanks to a civil war breaking out in his
country and his passport being de-
clared invalid. From there, it’s a quirky
exploration of the human spirit as only
Hanks can pull off, with his goodheart-
ed guy learning to live under strange
circumstances and help folks out
whenever possible.‘Toy Story’ (1995)Because there’s so much personal-
ity in plastic cowpoke Woody’s voice,
the Pixar animated classic is a no-
brainer to include on any Hanks retro-
spective. The first “Toy Story” is fun,
full of nostalgia and, yes, it’ll make you
tear up like freshly sliced onions. It’s
totally worth it, however, to see the dy-
namic between earnest sheriff Woody
and idiosyncratic spaceman Buzz
Lightyear (Tim Allen) as they go from
an initial rivalry to be the favorite toy
to budding best friendship.‘You’ve Got Mail’ (1998)In the 1990s, Hanks and Meg Ryan
were an unstoppable rom-com pair-
ing, the Fred and Ginger of the grunge
era. “Joe Versus the Volcano” and
“Sleepless in Seattle” might have their
devotees, but the best by far is this
lovely ode the earliest days of online
dating. Hanks runs a massive family
bookseller, Ryan heads up the small
corner bookstore whose business is in
jeopardy, and the rivals become secret
email confidantes who fall for each
other. Just try not to cry as Brinkley
the dog bounds through the park, a
furry version of a modern “swipe right”
bringing together two lovebirds.Hanks
Continued from Page 5B
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star as rival booksellers who fall for each other over
AOL messages in “You’ve Got Mail.”BRIAN HAMILL/WARNER BROS.Tom Hanks stars with Geena Davis as
the alcoholic coach in “A League of
Their Own.”COLUMBIA PICTURESMadeline Martha Mackenzie. In “Lies,”
she was brash and casual; Elena is up-
tight and so formal that a lack of
matching tartan sneakers in a family
Christmas photo is enough to inspire a
full-throated meltdown. By inviting a
comparison of the two, Witherspoon
forces the viewer to confront stereo-
types about mothers and what roles
actresses of a certain age can play.
Washington excels here, too, and
her intense performance is constantly
on the verge of boiling over into rage.
Mia taps into Washington’s natural
strengths as an actor – her best work is
operating in extremes. With equal fer-
vor, Washington hits the emotional
high notes of Mia’s anger and the stoic
low notes in the reserved persona she
presents to the world.
As the interweaving plots of “Fires”
slowly unravel over eight episodes
(seven were made available for re-
view), the story’s complexity becomes
deeply addictive. “Fires” is the rare
multigenerational story in which the
teen drama is as compelling as what’s
going on with the adults. Even as the
fate of a baby separated from its moth-
er is debated and marriages are tested,
the “Fires” writers craft authentic sto-
ry arcs for the Richardson kids with
high stakes, in the way that every hic-
cup (romantic or otherwise) feels like
life and death awash in adolescent
hormones and emotions.
The series offers a nuanced look at
racial relations through Lexie and her
boyfriend Brian (Stevonte Hart), a
black teen who becomes increasingly
angry with Lexie’s constant but subtle
racism. She doesn’t “see” color – but he
watches her softly demean black
classmates, drive-thru workers and
even him.
“Fires” puts a microscope on the
American dream of a car in every
driveway and a chicken in every pot.
Shaker appears to be the ideal Amer-
ican suburb, perfect in every way, until
the cracks begin to show in the veneer
of fastidiously mowed lawns and
fairy-tale homecoming dances.
The characters may live in a Clin-
ton-era fantasy of a post-racial Amer-
ica, but the tenor of scenes about race,
in addition to class, motherhood and
sexuality, feel painfully relevant to the
present day. In one argument, Mia
points out the difference between the
two women: “You didn’t make good
choices, you hadgood choices.” In a
less capable series, the moment would
be explicit, with ham-handed moraliz-
ing. In “Fires,” it sears the audience
with its truth.Fires
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