By Hugh de Blácam

The mists of time enshroud Saint Patrick of Ireland, obscuring the details of his life and work, blurring the lines between fable and fact. Yet few saints have attracted such lively interest and steadfast devotion down the centuries than the Apostle of the Emerald Isle. Honoring that interest and devotion, Hugh de Blácam brings the man who shepherded the Irish into the fold of the Church to life—not as mythic hero, but as a man in love with Christ and bound to preach His gospel. Like the Apostle Paul, Patrick’s was a “strong, fiery nature, ready to do all, dare all, and endure all for Christ.” Beginning with Patrick’s boyhood and enslavement, de Blácam then chronicles his commission as bishop to return to Ireland; his answer to the “voice of the Irish”; his casting down of pagan idols and contentions with kings and druids; and his unwavering confession that Christ is Lord and Ireland is Christ’s.

“I commend my soul to my most faithful God, whose ambassador I am in my lowliness.… He knoweth that fully and greatly I desire and have been ready that He should grant me to drink of His cup, as He hath granted to others who love Him.” (Saint Patrick)

“Under God’s providence,” wrote F. J. Sheed, “the Irish were born of St. Patrick, and after fifteen centuries every generation of them still bears his imprint.” First published in 1941, Saint Patrick: Apostle of Ireland is a testament to this truth, told with a charm, distinction, and power worthy of its saintly subject.

Hugh de Blácam (1891–1951) was an English-born Irish author and editor. A member of the Gae­lic League, he was a staunch republican and advocate for Irish independence from British rule. Inspired by the apologetical writings of G. K. Chesterton, he converted to the Catholic faith in 1913. His other works, Catholic in theme or topic, include The Story of Colmcille (1929), The Saints of Ireland: Brigid and Columcille (1942), and Golden Priest (1943), a drama on the martyrdom of St. Oliver Plunkett.

Paperback: 204pp.

ISBN: 978-1685953829