Little is
known of Patrick's early life, except that he was born in Roman Britain in the
fourth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His
father was a deacon and his
grandfather was a priest in the
Christian church.
At the age
of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a
slave. Apparently, he was held somewhere on the west coast of Ireland, possibly
Mayo, but the exact location is unknown. According to his Confession, he was
told by God in a dream to flee from captivity to the coast, where he would
board a ship and return to Britain. Upon returning, he quickly joined the
Church in Auxerre in Gaul and studied to be a priest.
