I found this curious page of info on
about.com
The only undisputed record of Saint Patrick's life are his scarce biographical sketches in the Confessio and the letter to Coroticus' soldiers (whoever they were). Both documents were written by Patrick himself and contain fairly unspectacular details:
* Patrick was born in Britain into a wealthy Christian family with strong church connections;
* Patrick was abducted by raiders as a young man or boy, taken to Ireland and kept as a servant or slave to herd sheep;
* Following divine inspiration Patrick fled from Ireland, wandered the desert and finally arrived back in Britain;
* Rising within the church, Patrick was chosen to convert the Irish and sent back to the island;
* His rise and mission were not universally welcome, he hints at a "dark secret" rivals knew about;
* Patrick had a definitely apocalyptic vision of his mission in Ireland.
Does anyone besides me wonder why claims of divine intervention or apocalyptic visions, apparently supported by nothing but the word of the person claiming to have them, would go undisputed or be considered "fairly unspectacular"?