Supposedly Sir Patrick banished snakes from Ireland by standing on a hilltop and... telling them to go away? Is there any evidence, written or archaeological, that suggests the snakes were actually there?
I can understand the religious context and the symbolism of the snake, like Patrick drove the devil out of Ireland. I've heard it suggested that the snakes were a metaphor for the land working Pagans who were culturally driven to destruction by Christians. But I'm not sure this is evidenced or not
Regarding "driving the snakes out" as referring to pagan/Christian conflict: Is it true that Saint Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland is actually a metaphor for pagan genocide? What are the origins of this story? written by u/depanneur
A girl I know gets indigant every St. Patricks Day, because she believes that St. Patrick conquered Ireland and forcibly converted them, committing genocide against the Pagan druids who lived there. Is this claim accurate? If so, to what extent? written by u/Lonnbeimnech (note that u/depanneur also made a top level reply in that thread, but the content is very similar to the other answer I already linked)