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At about two weeks ago, the Irish celebrated St. Patricks Day. And it's probably because of the great popularitaty of Saint Patrick, who lived from 385 to 461, that most people still think he was the one who brought christianity to Ireland. But in fact, this not quite true. More than a centuary before Patrick landed there the christian belief had probably been brought to Ireland by soldiers and merchants. And already in 431,(the year of Patricks arrival) there had been a council in Ephesus where the theory of an Irish monk, called Pelagius, who wanted to acchieve more freedom of will and individuality of belief, was rejected. Generally there were many differences between the roman church (who wanted to gain influence in Ireland) and the irish one. So there were many arguments, for example about separate irish costums. But it's probably because the irish missionaries adopted some rituals of the celtic population and build their churches on holy grounds, that the christian belief spread so fast all over the Island. At the end of the fifth centuary many monastaries were founded. But unlike Benedictine monasteries, Celtic monasteries embraced entire families; men, women, their children and animals lived in the outer walls, while the celibates lived within the inner walls.
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