We were traveling around Ireland, as well as doing a bit of ministry there, when we came upon an opportunity to visit an interesting sight.
It was actually out in County Sligo by a beach in the village of Strandhill, a place we had decided to visit for a few days.
We were using public transportation at this point and getting around on the local bus, which became a bit of an endeavor because the thing drove right by the little hostel we booked in Strandhill. The driver momentarily stopped but then quickly sped away, slamming the door when we got up to get off after realizing it was our hostel. He ignored us and kept driving all the way back to the main depot several miles out of our way!
We then had to hoof it back along the side of the highway, schlepping along with our luggage for several miles to return back to where we had been. Here we were rambling down a long lonely Irish highway, with all our luggage, out in the middle of nowhere. Well, at least the Irish scenery is always nice. This particular endeavor, however, was a little preview of the chore we’d take on in order to find an ancient site in the area.
Another bus driver a couple of days later actually did let us get off there in Strandhill when we asked, and when I mentioned to him how the other driver didn’t, he responded: “Oh, that guy. Well, you know some people got their issues…You’re not the only lad to complain about that guy’s antics.”
The Lord saw our struggle and brought some refreshing by providing some fun surf that evening at Strandhill beach. In fact, the strong howling Irish wind all a sudden calmed down before the sun went down and the chop of the rough seas laid down as the waves smoothed out. What had looked earlier like a blown-out mess, turned into a pretty fun evening of surf. It was a blessing to get out into the ocean for a few waves after a long day on that bus and that long luggage-carrying hoof we’d done.
There were some Irish blokes out learning to surf at that sand-bottom beach break in Strandhill—lots of surf spots in Ireland break over reefs—so this sand beach created a good learning situation. I was surprised when I ended up talking to a few people there and experienced how they were stoked to meet a surfer from California.
You don’t always get a welcome reception when surfing in other locales: in some areas the locals can sometimes go out of their way to let you know how unwelcome you are. So it is nice to get a welcome reception while surfing once in a while, especially since it isn’t the norm.
Finding Patty’s Ole Wee Little Kirk
Through some questioning and investigating, while talking to some people in the area, I found out that there was an ancient little church that the evangelist, popularly known as St. Patrick, had built with his own hands in that region.
This was not the usual touristy type of sight one might visit while taking one of those typical tours that run regularly throughout Ireland. In fact, it was by long and unusual stretches way off the beaten path and far out of the way. It actually took a fair bit of investigation, as some people knew that it was in the area, but nobody really seemed to know how to get there exactly.
There was a surf school there that was housed and connected to an “ole public house” which served as a local connection point where you could get a good meal for a relatively inexpensive price, and where many people, including kids and families hung out.
After some sleuthing around, I found an older person there who knew how to get to the “Ole Kirk O’ Patrick.”
He explained we would have to do a fair bit of hiking, as well as cross an active airport runway, and then climb up some hills, and rifle through overgrown bushes, to get to it. I expressed to him my surprise that there weren’t more people going out to visit an authentic site like that.
“Tourists don’t come out to this area much, most are happy to see the Cathedral that is named after St. Patrick in Dublin, even though he had no real association or connection with that touristy place at all,” he explained.
I was stoked that we were hunting down something that was actually associated with St Patrick’s life.
Getting To The Little Church
After making our way out to the local airport, we waited next to the runway until there was a break from airplanes landing and taking off. We then dashed across the airport runway and ran towards the grassy hills on the other side.
After crossing the runway, I thought about what an unusual thing we had just done, “Don’t think they would let you run across an airport runway back home!” I said.
We looked around after that mad dash, thankful we hadn’t been chopped up by a plane propeller, and started hiking uphill, paying close attention as we walked along a trail that was not very clearly marked and slightly overgrown due to lack of use. After hiking for a while and going up and down hills, losing the trail a few times and backtracking, and then wading through head-high bushes, we finally came upon the ancient ruins of the little church.
It fit well with the real St Patrick: rough around the edges, organic, with much of the structure having eroded due to time and weather. Similarly, much of St Patrick’s real story has been eroded by fanciful legends promoted by a religious system he had nothing to do with.
The Real St. Patrick
The real St. Patrick is actually someone who experienced a genuine conversion and was very aware that he was saved only by the grace of Christ.
Patrick was not Irish himself but rather came over to Ireland after being kidnapped and taken there previously as a slave, at which time he cried out to God and experienced a conversion.
After some time, he was able to escape his slavery and return to Roman Britain. Sometime later, after having a dream where he received a Macedonian call to come back and preach the Gospel to the Irish, he was willing to once again cross the rough sea from his home in Roman Britain, and even suffer at the hands of the pagans who he reached out to, all because of the call he received from God that led him to come and reach the Irish.
He preached the Gospel with signs and wonders following, and the early Celtic church he is associated with believed in salvation by faith through grace. Patrick was an evangelist to Ireland who preached the Gospel to the Irish and established many small churches throughout the land.
The Gospel
The Gospel is alive and it brings salvation to those who receive and believe upon Jesus Christ. Through the grace given by faith in Jesus Christ, mankind is reconciled to God the Father. Patrick became an ambassador of that work of reconciling the Irish people to God.
The New Testament teaches that it is Jesus Christ who took on the whole burden of sin for us at the cross. He paid the full price for us who believe upon Him, and His grace gives us the free gift of salvation.
Christ Is The Redeemer
Christ did the work of salvation for us when He went to the cross. Man-made rituals, traditions, and religiosity, regardless of what institution promotes them, can never be substitutes for the work done by Jesus at Calvary.
Jesus answered very clearly when asked what are the works that God requires of us:
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:28-29)
For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life. And I will raise him up on the Last Day. (John 5:40)
Paul echoes the same thing:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
God saved us and chose us to be His…people, but not because of anything we ourselves have done. God saved us and made us His people because that was what He wanted and because of His grace. That grace was given to us through Christ Jesus...
(2 Timothy 1:9)
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior…appeared, He saved us—not by righteous works that we did ourselves, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs…of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)
(Note: We have a small booklet of Scriptures that focus on the grace of God. If you would like a free copy email us and we will send it to you.)
The Celtic Church
Thus, the early Celtic Church Patrick was associated with, according to historian Ruth Tucker, sought to be centered on the New Testament, just like the disciples in the Early Church, as well as those who were part of the Reformation later. This is in stark contrast to later Catholicism, which admits to basing itself on traditions.
The real Saint Patrick has much more to do with the Gospel and evangelism, than with the religious legends that obscure his real story.
As historian Ruth Tucker points out, who has a PhD in history and would visit and lecture on these subjects when I was studying at Fuller Theological Seminary, Patrick of Ireland stands as one of the most misrepresented figures in Christian History. The real story has been replaced by legends, which unfortunately have been furthered by a religious system he was not actually associated with.
Ireland itself in fact didn’t become Catholic until several centuries after Patrick’s era, when in a bid for dominance the Pope conspired to hold sway over Ireland and impose Catholicism on it. As history is often being written by the victors, both Patrick and Ireland became known as Catholic, when in fact Patrick was not, and Ireland originally wasn’t either.
Seeking to win over the Irish people, the Pope had Patrick named a Catholic saint. Thus began a long history of Patrick being misrepresented as Catholic, and the Irish people themselves misunderstanding their own Christian roots, which are not originally Catholic, but tied back to early Celtic Christianity, which was the original Christian faith of the island.
The early Celtic church was actually often at odds with Catholicism and clashed with it. Celtic monks sought to be free and Spirit-led and go where they felt led to go, which regularly stirred the ire of the Catholic bishops and priests, especially on the Continent, as Catholics used a religious system of parishes. They resented the free-wheeling attitude of the Celtic Ministers and Monks who were free to marry if they pleased as well, which clashed with the celibacy imposed on all Catholic priests and hierarchy.
One of the people-groups the Celtic Christians helped reach were the Scandinavians. When Vikings raided the British Isles’ shores, many Celtic monks were taken as captives; however, in the end these captives ended up evangelizing their captors (Celtic Christian Legacy and Treasures video.)
Having a look back at this history gives us a view of what Paul was dealing with in the Letter to the Galatians. The early Galatians had received the Gospel, but then others came along called Judaizers, and swayed them away from their foundations and influenced them towards rituals and religiosity, thus obscuring the truth. Paul had to preach and write to reestablish the Gospel with the Galatians, thus making clear:
You who are trying to be justified by works of the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5:4, NIV)
Which is explained well in another contemporary version:
When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. (Galatians 5:4, The Message)
The Need For The Gospel To Be Preached
The Gospel is alive and life-giving and brings salvation; religiosity and rituals are man’s attempt to save himself through his own works.
Ireland, as well as so many places throughout Europe, need the Gospel to be preached once again and evangelism must be carried out with the signs and wonders of old following, to break through the walls that have grown, including dead religion.
The truth needs to be brought once again to their shores. John Wesley rightly stated that we are always only one generation away from people slipping backwards into the world.
Irish Inspiration
Having been inspired by these adventures of traveling in Ireland and the adventures of Patrick the Evangelist, as well as the early Celtic Christians, we have produced a number of videos on these subjects, as well as written a song and music video, along with numerous other related videos. The links are below:
• The Real St Patrick: Get the real story versus the fables that have only obscured his legacy.
• Celtic Cry: A video we made with an original song and music I wrote. The video includes scenes and surf through Ireland.
• Columcille - Missionary to Iona: Story of the Irish missionary who was inspired by Patrick and went to reach the Picts in Scotland.
• A Visit to Lindisfarne: Also known as Holy Island, Lindisfarne is associated with early Celtic Christianity. It is considered one of the first places the Vikings raided and from which they took captives. These kidnapped Celtic Christians ended up helping reach the Vikings with the Gospel.
