Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Or in this Thread, another ordinary day!

Point of Divergence ... Before the arrival of Saint Patrick in Ireland (the exact time is not recorded, but most scholars agree it was during the second half of the 5th century), Ireland was a mostly pagan nation with its roots in Druid worship. Many legends are associated with Patrick during his time in Ireland, the most famous being that he banished all the snakes from the land. Whether the legends are true or not is a matter of debate, but Patrick's arrival in Ireland did signal a beginning of a conversion of the island from the Old Ways to those of Christianity.

Let's say Patrick never went to Ireland but remained in Britain. Would the country of Ireland had been converted to Christianity still, or would Ireland have remained pagan? And how does this impact history?
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From what I know Patrick wasn't the first Christian to attempt to convert the Irish, let me see if I can find a name...Palladius, was the first consecrated Bishop of Ireland, and the Catholic Church had a presence in Ireland by the time Patrick arrived.
 
From what I know Patrick wasn't the first Christian to attempt to convert the Irish, let me see if I can find a name...Palladius, was the first consecrated Bishop of Ireland, and the Catholic Church had a presence in Ireland by the time Patrick arrived.
For me it begs the question why Patrick gets all the credit for converting Ireland then.
 
For me it begs the question why Patrick gets all the credit for converting Ireland then.

MUI later Church politics. The Bishops of Armagh, Patrick's base, were trying to claim some form of primacy over the whole of the Church in Ireland. If Patrick ad been solely/primarily responsible for conversion, it gives more weight to themselves as his successors. It was a variation of one of reasons Rome used to claim/gain authority over the Western Church - the Pope as successor to Peter, Jesus' main Apostle.
 
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