Discover how a boy became devoted to the people who enslaved him, returned to their shores, and changed Ireland forever... He was taken from his home in England and dragged across the sea to Ireland. When he escaped, he traveled on the European continent, lived for a while as a monk, and then returned as a missionary to the people who had enslaved him. Many legends surround the life of St. Patrick. He competed with Druids and negotiated with tribal leaders. He traveled all over the emerald isle bringing both Christianity and the Roman Empire to its shores. J. B. Bury, the first modern biographer of St. Patrick, sought to find the man beneath the layers of myth and legend. Explore Patrick's place in history, the influence of earlier Christians on Patrick's work, the political and social conditions in the Roman Empire at that time, and much more. This new edition of Bury's classic biography has been re-edited, introduced by Jon M. Sweeney, and includes sidebar notes from other biographers, mystics, historians, and storytellers of Ireland. Praise for Jon M. Sweeney's biography of St. Francis of Assisi: "There is no sounder introduction to Francis' life." - Catholic News Service "This new and updated edition...is nothing short of astonishing in its power to touch the heart and revive the soul." -St. Anthony Messenger "Sweeney achieves a fine balance between excellent scholarship and sweet accessibility for every average reader." -Walter Wangerin, Jr.