notion that his spoken language was akin to Old Welsh on the basis of some phrases that are reported from him and which were not intelligible to the reporters. More work needs to be done on this, but in the end it makes little difference, for Patrick’s conscious identification is not in doubt. Patrick’s family pride was not limited to their civil position but included their status in the Church, for he came from what amounts to a clerical dynasty: his father was a deacon and
Page 22