Saint Patrick stained glass window from Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, CA.
By Sicarr (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Will the Real St. Patrick Please Stand Up

The "St. Patrick" celebrated on March 17 every year has never existed. He was, and is, a metaphorical, literary, and religious conceit.