4. Hill of Slane, County Meath
As missions go, Patrick’s plan to convert Celtic pagans in Ireland was not always a popular one. Once, when Druids were celebrating a pagan feast with the ritual Bealtaine fire on the Hill of Tara, County Meath, Patrick chose to defy the reigning High King by lighting his own unquenchable paschal fire on the neighbouring Hill of Slane. Did Patrick suffer for his insolence? Amazingly, no. To answer for his actions, Patrick performed feats and miracles to prove to the King that the Christian God was far more powerful than the pagan god, using the three-leafed shamrock as an example of Christianity.
