WHEN AND WHY PADDIES BECAME SYONYMOUS WITH TADHGS AND DONALS

The Christian name Patrick was rare in Ireland for over 1,200 years after the Saint’s (461 AD) death.. Oliver Cromwell’s generic terms for the Gaelic Catholics were “Tadhgs and Donals”

Patrick was added  to commemorate Patrick Sarsfield, Earl of Lucan, Jacobite hero of Bally Neety and other adventures in the Williamite War. The Jacobites were allies of LOUS XIV of France, a powerful Catholic King and Irish Catholics were part of that Alliance.

 Prince William of Orange, supported by Irish Protestants, was allied with the Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome (aka. “Pope,” “Old Red Socks”, “AntiChrist”, “Vicar of the ‘Whore of Babylon’ ”  etcetera).

The Earl of Lucan’s father, also Patrick, came from a wealthy English Catholic family (Yorkshire?) and married a daughter of the Irish Chieftain Rory O’More. O’More was celebrated in a verse with the lines “For God and for Ireland and Rory O’More” for his part in the 1641 Rising. The verse was carried to London where cockney rhyming slang commemorates our hero as a door.  Would you Adam & Eve it?

 During the English Civil War Irish Catholics and “Old English” Catholics in Ireland supported Charles  I.

 In Rome the Waterford Franciscan Father Luke Wadding was responsible for the Pope’s sending Archbishop Rinuccini as Papal Nuncio to Ireland to liaise with the Confederation of Kilkenny, or perhaps, to dictate to it.

 Father Wadding played a key role in Catholic Europe, founding educational establishment and recruiting scholars to found others. The Catholic Encyclopaedia lists the huge role he played in Europe and the work he did for Ireland. He was responsible for St Patrick’s role in the 5th Century and its over 1,000 years legacy in Europe being recognised by a 17th Century Pope, 

And responsible  for St.Patrick being commemorated on March 17th ever since.

Luke Wadding’s name has been almost tar-brushed out of history, to be eclipsed by that of such neo-Renaissance pretenders as FINTAN O’TOOLE.

I write this on 16th of March. I will see tomorrow how far and widely my assertion is confirmed.