Irish Prime minister Kenny reminds Trump that St Patrick was an immigrant

Saturday, March 18th 2017 - 10:48 UTC

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Irish prime minister Enda Kenny made his annual visit to the White House on St. Patrick's Day, saying during his remarks that the celebration stems from an immigrant. “It’s fitting that we gather here each year to celebrate St. Patrick and his legacy,” Kenny said, while standing next to President Trump. “He, too, of course, was an immigrant.” Read full article

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Pwnd
Mar 18th, 2017 - 04:23 pm - Link - Report abuse -4
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Briton
Kenny reminds Trump that St Patrick was an immigrant,

Apparently he was an Englishman,
so was the remark good or bad ?
Mar 18th, 2017 - 08:56 pm - Link - Report abuse -3
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Redrow
Saint Patrick was not an immigrant. He was a Brit enslaved by Irish pirates, then later in life he returned to Ireland as a Missionary. So Kenny (who I have a lot of time for) is reaching a little here - unless he was just pulling Trump's chain.
Mar 18th, 2017 - 10:05 pm - Link - Report abuse -3
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Voice
Redrow

Saint Partrick was of course an immigrant to Ireland...the Irish were different tribes to the Britons... Gaelic (or Goedelic) Celts as opposed to the Brythonic Celts...
Using the word Celts for want of a better word...
Mar 19th, 2017 - 05:52 pm - Link - Report abuse +2
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Redrow
Voice

And does that mean that the Pope really IS a Catholic? And WHAT do bears do in the woods?

The point is that he was taken to Ireland against his will. That hardly makes him the equivalent to modern economic migrants who move to Europe and the US by choice, albeit in extremis in some cases. And then he returned as a missionary i.e. to change the religion of Ireland; again, a bad metaphor if one's point is that immigrants won't change the religion or culture of the host country. It isn't a big beal - it was a funny remark by Kenny, just a weak metaphor if examined.

(And the Pretani were Cruthin / Picts not Celts).
Mar 20th, 2017 - 08:10 am - Link - Report abuse -4
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notlurking
Redrow

Agreed......I'll go a bit further and say it was an idiotic remark
Mar 20th, 2017 - 12:12 pm - Link - Report abuse -4
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Clyde15
St. Patrick was certainly NOT English. There was no country called England until about the 10th century, Also the Angles had not arrived until about 200 years after St.Patrick

It is known that he was raised near a village called Banna Vemta Burniae but its location cannot be identified. It may have been lowland Scotland but is equally likely to have been Wales, which was under Roman control at the time.
Old Kilpatrick in Scotland is one of several locations that it is suggested that Saint Patrick of Ireland was captured at and enslaved in Ireland in the 5th century.

However, no one can say for sure except that it certainly was NOT England.

I presume Briton uses England as a synonym for Britain...a common mistake of the English.
Mar 20th, 2017 - 01:46 pm - Link - Report abuse -2
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Briton
According to the Confessio of Patrick, when he was about 16, he was captured by Irish pirates from his home in Britain, and taken as a slave to Ireland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick

so yes I meant Britain, Scotland and England as such did not exist at this time,
is this correct.

I believe the romans called the place Caledonia but I could be wrong.
still the man lived , and died and is now a saint..
Mar 24th, 2017 - 08:08 pm - Link - Report abuse -1
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