NEW RESEARCH PAPER CONFIRMS ST. PATRICK'S BIRTHPLACE IN SCOTLAND

A new research paper confirms St Patrick’s birthplace as Old Kilpatrick in Scotland. The paper “Saint Patrick's birthplace & the names of the Roman forts along the Antonine Wall” states that new Roman period place names assigned to four places along the Antoinine Wall, which was constructed in Scotland around 142 AD by the Romans, confirms St Patrick’s birthplace.

The four name places include three forts along the Antonine wall (VOLITANIO (Mumrills), MEDIO (Balmuildy), NEMETON (Old Kilpatrick) and one settlement beyond the wall SUBDOBIADON (Dumbarton).

According to the researchers, a link found between the Roman names on the wall and St Patrick’s birthplace securely ties the saint’s place of birth to Old Kilpatrick.

It proves St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland, was born in the year 387 at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton which is in Scotland. Patrick tells us that he grew up in Bannavem Taberniae, but efforts to locate this place precisely have so far failed. He tells us elsewhere that he was a Briton, and a Roman citizen

. One place suggested for this has been south-west Scotland, which would be close to Ireland for raiders, and would also explain how Patrick knew Coroticus, who is named as king of Dumbarton in the fifth century in Welsh annals. As a teenager, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and enslaved as a shepherd for several years. He attributed his ability to persevere to his faith in God.

His birth name was actually Maewyn Succat -- it wasn't until he was in the Church that it was changed to Patricius, or Patrick.

Old Kilpatrick is located at the western end of the Antonine wall, making it the seventh of the main forts along the wall - SUBDOBIADON, Yet, the Gaelic hymn of Fiacc records Nemthur as the birthplace of Saint Patrick. The paper explains the mismatch between SUBDOBIADON and Nemthur.

This compels us to conclude that Old Kilpatrick is the NEMETON of the Ravenna Cosmography, Nemthur of Saint Patrick, and that this name is likely retained in the name "Dalnotter", a small valley just at a key ford across the Clyde.